Are nurses forced to assist abortions?

Nurses Activism

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Hello,

I'm looking into a career as an RN and I am just curious - Are nurses forced to assist abortions? I've heard recently of several nurses being forced to assist or they lose their job. Is this the case with most hospitals?

I've asked on other sites and apparently it's a dumb question, sorry.

Thanks for your help.

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

BillyTheKind: Abortion isn't against the laws of nature; it's against Papal edict supported by St. Augustine and other ancient thinkers who had no idea of societies that would be so crowded as to never allow the majority of their populations to have enough food, shelter, water, land, etc.; and that those who live in relative wealth and peace would condemn to a fiery hell a woman who already had too many kids. But aside from that, is it ever wise to "ignore all the religion and legal crap"? People gave a great deal of THOUGHT to these disciplines and a person who lives solely on instinct and does what he/she can "live with" will certainly make the world an uglier place to live.

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Honestly, those who are in favor or support of the causation of death for any circumstances in health care are the ones who shouldn't be treating patients. It's just nuts.

Apparently you are not understanding that this is about the patient, and not you.

It is offensive that you put a label on nurses who (in this case) actually respect the choices of the patient vs placing a biased opinion of whether or not they should perform a task because it does not correlate with their beliefs.

But just in case this is stemming from "religious beliefs", in efforts to eliminate the cherry picking, the bible makes it clear that a baby under one month of age has no value according to God. You can feel free to look that up in Leviticus 27.

Also in Exodus 21 it states that if a man hurts a pregnant woman and the baby dies, he is fined, however if a man kills the pregnant women, he is executed.

So basically it's only live vs life only if the pregnant woman is killed, but not if the baby dies.

And as a couple of the posters have stated, the question has been answered. No you are not forced to partake in abortions whether it's for (ironically) religious reasons or not.

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Re the original question, this reminds me of dealing with adolescents.

"What part of "No" don't you understand?" That's the answer to your question.

Enough already. No, no one will or can force you to participate in a pregnancy termination as a student or graduate nurse in any state in the Union.

No.

No.

Got that?

If someone wants to debate what has been settled law in the US for the last forty years, start another thread.

If you don't like abortion, don't have one. Period.

Can we close this thread now?

:grumpy:

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I see how someone can have joy in providing care to their patients. But the child en utero is too your patient. It is only recently that people have tried to take the human identity from a non-fully developed person away. We should be in the business of preserving life and not taking it away. Abortion is not healthcare. Society is trying to "modify" what is healthcare. There was an instance where there were twins but one was black and the other was white. It was very rare of course, but what if the mother didn't want one of them? What if the mother had a preference to a particular color and requested the abortion of only one, simply for preference? You see how illogical this is. Nurses are suppose to make calls based on sound judgment. Trying to take away the definition of what life is so you can't call it killing is absurd. You do not even need religion to tell you that is wrong. It's science. Honestly, those who are in favor or support of the causation of death for any circumstances in health care are the ones who shouldn't be treating patients. It's just nuts. All members of the human family should be welcomed in life and protected by law. If we are suppose to have human rights, then pretty much, any human falls into that.The same was with slavery. Even though Africans and African Americans are human, they were put into a category less than, just as people are doing to children now. And back then it was also according to the law, so they are almost the same illogical wrong doings; don't forget about the Holocaust because that was legal also. Eventually, it will get so bad that almost full term abortions will become sanctioned and all because HCPs out there will not advocate for the second party. The mother has a body, and the baby has his or her own body, only attached via a cord. Nothing more. Why can't people see this?

Nurses have a choice in what type of nursing they practice. Most can not be "forced" into participating in anything.

WITH THAT BEING SAID: WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE A CHOICE. I have seen women who desire to have a child and the child has unexplained issues and dies in utero. Hence having to start the process of getting the fetus out--by way of what some would call a "chemical abortion". Babies who have no brain stem, no chance at life, and a mother hysterical because this was her last chance of having a child. I have prepared bodies of twins that both died in utero. Again, having to be expelled as the mother then went septic. And that woman has still to this day has had tremendous psych issues because of it. So before anyone assumes why a woman has an abortion, I am thankful that these women had choices. And that every woman has a choice.

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Specializes in Operating room..

I HATE suction D&C's...politics aside it's a horrible procedure to watch....it's a big vacuum with a clear tube...when that blood and tissue and baby hit that tube and fill that suction container...I want to vomit every time. I can handle ANY OR procedure but this one always makes me woozy. I HATE doing them. That being said I worked in a catholic hospital and we only did them after the baby had died...still...I HATE them.

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Interesting movie in Netflix I just saw. "If These Walls Could Talk," with Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek, and Cher (among others). Three vignettes over about 40 years (50s, 70s, late 90s) involving women with unwanted pregnancies who lived in the same house. Stunning, and perfectly cast. And no, you don't know how it all turns out for each one. Watch it.

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Specializes in Pedi.
Oh and since you want to say the child has its own body, which I already pointed out, then why can't women kill their children after they are born? They are still using their bodies to supply the newborn with food whether it be bought or breastfeeding. It's her body right? So if her body decided to abandon the child I. A public trash can, well I guess she chose to do with her body such a hideous action. People express opinion on here all the time and this topic is relevant for expressing it. Everyone here is doing it so what? The first pro lifer comes and makes her stance and now you jump in and say I shouldn't? Wow. It's in the constitution. Freedom of expression.

Did you seriously just ask why a woman can't kill her child? A child is a person with legal rights. A fetus is not. Pregnancy is not really comparable to buying food or clothing for a baby as anyone can feed or clothe a baby once it is born and purchasing food or clothing for a child does not have the same implications on the mother's health and body as pregnancy does. A birth mother has no legal obligation to provide this care for her child if she chooses not to though. She can drop the baby at any police station, fire station or hospital, no questions asked. The state would be obligated to take the child if she does not want it after it is born. It's not possible to gestate a pregnancy outside of the birth mother's uterus.

The Constitution of the United States has nothing to do with an online message board.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Admins and members of All Nurses are not Congress. Actually, it specifically says this in the TOS.

Anti-choice nurses scare the crap outta me.

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"What part of "No" don't you understand?" That's the answer to your question.

Got that?

If you don't like abortion, don't have one. Period.

Can we close this thread now?

:grumpy:

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I would "like" this 10,000 times if I could....Thank You!!

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If you dont like this thread, then dont read it. Same logic. You could leave, no one is forcing you to read in here. lol Practice what you preach my friend

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Saying a fetus is not a person/human, is opinion based. Until you can prove that with facts by science, you got nothing.

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Specializes in Pedi.
Saying a fetus is not a person/human, is opinion based. Until you can prove that with facts by science, you got nothing.

Person is not a scientific term, it is a legal/philosophical one.

Please point out where any one poster on this thread has ever said that a human fetus is not human. Of course it is human. The product of two humans can only be human. Or do you think a human woman is going to gestate a horse?

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

So don't take a job in a facility that offers the legally protected choice of a woman to terminate a pregnancy. Pure and simple...

Regardless we were not hired to kill. Pure and simple. It is completely different if it is a disease. The child is not a disease. Rules don't make it right. I have a mind and it is wrong regardless of how anyone on here tries to justify killing children. People are becoming more blind about this reality the more health care personnel support it. Like I said, abortion is NOT HEALTH CARE. Just because I may not work in that area, doesn't make it okay if others do it, or is it okay for a mother to kill her child at any age?
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