Public Health and birth control

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Can you be a public health nurse and not have to give out birth control (morning after pill especially)?

That's probably the pharmacist pushing his or her values on you. I promise you I bought it in Hillsborough at the new big WalMart off I85 about five months ago. :)

I have a serious problem with people attempting to force their own values of that nature on me. IMHO they're making judgement calls on me they have no right to make. (If I HAD been pregnant - and I don't think I was - it would have put me right out of the Air Force before I even got back in, and my family and I are SOOO much better off with me IN the Air Force again. None of that pharmacist's business, really. Not their life.)

Sorry, just my opinion.

Carolina,

Just to clarify a common misconception and one that the OP herself seems to misunderstand, the "morning-after pill" or Plan B would not terminate a pregnancy if there already was one. It acts to prevent pregnancy in the first place. Therefore, those who are pro-life should technically be very pro-Plan B as it it no way ends a life or acts like an abortion. It prevents pregnancy so people do not have to make that choice. I also realize this is a highly emotional and more philosophical debate than we should get into here, but as nurses we should all understand how medications work and from a scientific and pharmacological standpoint, Plan B only acts to prevent, not terminate, a pregnancy. No different than the regular daily birth control pill.

Nursing, whether in the hospitals or out in the community, you're there to help patients meet their needs.

Yeah, but if somebody claims that they "need" an abortion, (and nobody needs this) doctors and nurses should not be forced to participate in any way. I want to go into healthcare to help people. I know the morning after pill is becoming very popular, and I do not agree with it. I know that I could never give that to somebody

Specializes in Health Information Management.
Yeah, but if somebody claims that they "need" an abortion, (and nobody needs this) doctors and nurses should not be forced to participate in any way. I want to go into healthcare to help people. I know the morning after pill is becoming very popular, and I do not agree with it. I know that I could never give that to somebody

You simply don't have the right to impose your beliefs on someone by pushing them into one choice or depriving them of information or access to a legal choice. Like it or not, abortion is legal in this country and in some cases is indeed needed (for instance, in cases where the health of the mother is endangered). Plan B, while nothing like an abortion (as others have noted, it prevents pregnancy rather than ending one after it has begun), is a legal option in the U.S. A better version that is consistently effective for five days has been approved by the FDA, so this option won't be going away. If you couldn't feel comfortable giving such a medication to someone requesting it or providing objective information uninflected by your personal beliefs, perhaps public health nursing isn't the best fit for you. I'm sure there are other areas of nursing where you could use your skills and talents more effectively.

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
Yeah I guess it depends on what someone's opinion of the morning after pill is, I consider it to be a very early abortion and not the same thing as using a condom or taking the birth control pill so I would not be comfortable supporting that in any way

You obviously do no know how the pill works then. It is not a form of abortion and does not terminate a pregnancy. If the woman is pregnant and takes the morning after pill she will still be pregnant. The morning after pill is no different than a woman taking two birth control pills today and two birth control pills tomorrow because she forgot to take it two days in a row.

I know that plan B can flush out conception, before it has attached to the uterine wall. I consider this the start of human life, but I guess technically you are not pregnant at this point but I belive this is the start of human life, and thats just personally where i draw the line, that is why i disagree with what others are saying about plan B.

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I know that plan B can flush out conception, before it has attached to the uterine wall. I consider this the start of human life, but I guess technically you are not pregnant at this point but I belive this is the start of human life, and thats just personally where i draw the line, that is why i disagree with what others are saying about plan B.

Would you rather them get a medical abortion then at 12wks because some one like you refused to give them something when it could have been prevented before implantation? Public Health is perhaps the most "colorful" field of nursing. As others suggested, a catholic based health care facility may be your best option. Then you will not have to worry about being put in a situation that you feel morally objected to.

I work in community health, which is similar to public health. Our services are free to the majority of our patients, we do free paps, mammograms, general care, STD/HIV testing/counseling, along with general care. I cant imagine being here, with the patients I have (and love!) and being judgemental. People won't trust you, if you judge them, regardless of their backgrounds/beliefs/choices. Those that walk through our doors are very distrustful of healthcare providers, because of how they are judged, and nothing less than open minded acceptance of them, continuously, changes that.

Think of it this way: given your beliefs, if patients know that you have them, they would likely be less open about their thoughts/concerns regarding pregnancy. That would undermine everything you are trying to do, as a public health nurse.

Yeah I agree. Being judgemental is not good, but who said I was? Being against something doesn't make me judgemental. Do patients discuss things like abortion with you? Can you opt out of having those discussions?

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
Yeah I agree. Being judgemental is not good, but who said I was? Being against something doesn't make me judgemental. Do patients discuss things like abortion with you? Can you opt out of having those discussions?

Just like you do not think it would be fair for you to have to discuss abortion or give out Plan B; many nurses and patients feel it is unfair for a patient to get the "luck of the draw" when it comes to having a nurse that is or is not willing to dispense treatment according to that nurses belief. If I went to a catholic hospital, I would not expect them to give me an abortion. If I went to a public health clinic, I would expect them to give me Plan B.

Ah, I remember the OP. Comes by every so often and starts a similar topic.

Well, the OP is in Canada. Alberta, if I recall correctly. Our Public Health doesn't work like that. A nurse belongs to a specific programme within the Public Health System: Immunization, Well Baby/Mum, School Health. Sexual Health is often a separate programme. These medications are bought at pharmacies. Our provincial health service is very big on "safe" sex promotion. I recall the Syphillis campaign the other year basically told everyone to use a CONDOM!!!

As has been suggested to the OP many times, in many other posts stay away from any programme that involves dealing with women of childbearing age within the Public System. Working a Gynie unit in Acute Care will expose her to second trimester terminations to due fetal issues incompatible with life. School Programmes may have pesky teenagers asking a nurse (someone who isn't a relative or teacher) about birth control because they feel safe asking someone who isn't a part of their day to day life.

Yeah I agree they would expect that at a public health facility obviously. I was just wondering if it was mandatory for all employees to give it out, that's all I wanted to know. Hey at least I am finding out as much as I can before making a decision to go back to school. A lot of the nursing students I am friends with reply "I have no idea" when I ask them stuff like this. So this is a place where somebody will forsure be able to give me valid info. Thanks :)

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