As a nursing student, will I be prodded to become Prochoice?

BluegrassRN · Oct 13, 2009

Yes, JayMar, if you work on a post-op floor, you may have to take care of someone post abortion. If they miscarried and had a D&C, that's an abortion, too. If they had an abortion at a clinic, and then they had complications and ended up on your floor, yes, you have to take care of them.

I personally would not participate in circumcision when I worked on the mother/baby/peds floor. I feel routine circ is morally wrong. Not a problem, as I worked nights and most circs happened after shift change. I'd take care of the babies who had had the procedure of course. But if a doc came up early to get her circs out of the way, I'd just swap out assisting with another nurse, do some of her work while she assisted in the circ. I think circ is wrong, wrong, wrong...but it is also a legal procedure offered in our hospital, and I firmly believe in the rights of the parents to make decisions for their babies. Since I live in a society that for the most part still believes routine circ of males is acceptable, I am not going to get up in arms about it; I just declined to actually participate. No one gave me a hard time about it, I think few of my co workers even knew how I felt.

I take care of slobbering drunks all the time, people who are so freakin huge they cannot wipe their bum but they can sure order and eat a lare pizza, COPDers who smoke, the list goes on and on. I'm not putting the cigarette up to anyone's lips...but I'll sure do my damnedest to make sure your respiratory status is the best is can be on my shift. I take care of people who are harming themselves and our society every day. That's part of the job. It's even sometimes a rewarding part of the job.

morningland · Oct 13, 2009

I am pro-life. I don't believe that anyone has any right over a life because it belongs to itself. With that being said, no one can force their beliefs on you especially in nursing school. You just need to remember not to hold any negativity or judgment to patients who may decide to have an abortion

Music in My Heart · Oct 13, 2009

avidhunter3 said:
Hello! I am getting ready to start the nursing program in January and I just wondered about nursing and the abortion issues. I know many have their own ideas about what they beleive and that is ok. I happen to be prolife. Not the carry the signs around kind, or the condemning kind. Just that I believe unless medically necessary that a life should not be taken. I just wondered as a student, do you hear much about being prolife? or prochoice? I know prochoice is the leader from what I hear, but Im just hoping we arent ever asked to really discuss it or debate it, as I am sure it would turn pretty nasty. I COULD care for a patient that had an abortion, I just might not have understand or agreed with their decision, but I dont think what I THINK has anything to do with the care of the patient. I just wondered as a nurse if its often discussed, and are you looked down upon if you are Prolife vs. Prochoice.

It was a complete nonissue in my nursing program (I graduated over the summer). There were times when people chose to share their views in the context of a particular discussion but it was never a mandated topic nor was a particular viewpoint pushed by the program.

That said, I'm nearly certain that every faculty member was ardently pro-choice.