Pro Life Beliefs and Nursing

[Tuzla99]

After spending weeks at a hospital while my dad was there I decided I wanted to pursue nursing as my future career after the great care they provided and I wish to do the same to others. I have pro-life beliefs and would not be able to live with myself killing a child. I know abortion is not an easy topic to discuss and I find I am very ignorant on the subject.

I would never treat anyone who has had an abortion differently and would give the best care to anyone regardless of religion or life choices. If anyone was in a certain situation when they started nursing school I would love to hear advice on what you did. I see myself either specializing in nurse researching/informatics or even oncology. I'm still learning and everything seems new and overwhelming to me so any input is greatly appreciated.

This is in no way meant to push any of my beliefs on any individual or to start arguments. I thank each and every one of you who are in a nursing field or will be in the future. Your work is invaluable.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

Pro-life is such a misnomer, I find.

OP, at this point, I'd focus your energy on getting back into school to complete your prerequisites before spending any more time worrying about abortions that don't have anything to do with you or your beliefs.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day, Tuzla99:

I hear you, and I believe I'm on the same page with you. 1) Legally, as long as our manager and employer know where we stand in advance, we have the right to not accept positions where we would be asked to go against our faith and belief system, and 2) the ANA and the law supports that position. I worked for a period of time as a cardiac telemetry nurse, and didn't run into any issues with my being pro-life, and I'm not a hospice RN case manager, and don't run into the issue.

Thank you.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I am against abortion as well. I worked in med-surg where it wasn't an issue ever. Now I work in the OR at a hospital where we do abortions up to 24 weeks (at least). I signed a form when I transferred to the OR that I would not participate in them. They actually only have a handful of nurses who will do abortions here, and the burnout is super high. I talk to one of them occasionally; she stopped because she had "trouble convincing herself what was in the pan was a specimen", though she is still pro-abortion. I love the OR but it's very demoralizing to know they are happening next door, especially later in pregnancy when we know those babies feel pain. I have actually been thinking about what I can do as a nurse to work at ending abortion

FWIW, late term abortions, the fetus is injected with potassium through the uterus to stop the heart, prior to the actual D&E procedure.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I am an abortion care nurse and I love what I do.

Several years ago I was offered a job as the clinic manager for Warren Hern's office (Boulder Abortion Clinic - one of only 2-3 clinics left in the country that does third trimester abortions). I still have regrets about not taking that position.

If anyone is interested, the Netflix show After Tiller is AMAZING.

[TruvyNurse]

I am a pro life Roman Catholic BUT I am not there to judge my patient, I am not one to dictate what someone does with their life and I'm not there to voice my beliefs. My business is to provide care and compassion. I'd learn to let it roll off your shoulders or don't work in a setting where you'll encounter abortion.

[abbnurse]

Several years ago I was offered a job as the clinic manager for Warren Hern's office (Boulder Abortion Clinic - one of only 2-3 clinics left in the country that does third trimester abortions). I still have regrets about not taking that position.

If anyone is interested, the Netflix show After Tiller is AMAZING.

Dr. Hern!! He is one of my heroes . We occasionally use Hern forceps in our clinic, btw. One of my work friends had the pleasure of meeting him at a conference. And , you're absolutely correct; "After Tiller" is amazing.

Also, you may like the documentary "Trapped", about the ridiculous TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws which apply ONLY to abortion clinics. And Dr. Willie Parker's book, "Life's Work: A Moral Argument For Choice", is wonderful, too.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Elective termination of a pregnancy is, for me personally, wrong; however, I believe access to safe abortion care should exist.

Now, let me tell ya this...

there are many, many things that one will encounter during a nursing career that could be (depending on beliefs) morally wrong and have zilch to do with termination of pregnancies.

Whatever department/specialty one has, there are a handful of dilemmas that are distressing.

When I was a tech, I worked in the perioperative department and once in a great while we did elective D&Es (this particular GYN liked doing it in the hospital OR). I provided pre care and post care.

It bothered me somewhat but it didn't, you know, haunt me.

What did haunt me? Keeping people alive for selfish reasons (as in, the patients could no longer make decisions, so the family members, out of guilt and/or greed, insisted on PEG tubs, trachs, surgeries, refused DNRs, etc). To me, this was much more bothersome, as it was tantamount to torture in my eyes.

And there was nothing I could do about it, aside from educate. The decisions were out of my hands, not like I could refuse those assignments - there were too many of them.

So, no matter where you go in terms of nursing specialties, there will be moral issues.

If abortion is your one and only no-no and you want to be in the OBGYN world, then choose a faith-affiliated institution and your issue will be mostly circumvented. But there will be others that compete to take its place.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Dr. Hern!! He is one of my heroes.

Me too! I remember how surreal it was - we were on a family vacation and suddenly I got a voicemail from Hern himself, wanting to meet with me. It was pretty amazing meeting him. He was brilliant and awe-inspiring and incredibly egotistical. I remember he seemed to look down upon pretty much every other OB/Gyn in the Denver area.

I didn't accept the job because he honestly couldn't afford to pay me what I was worth, and I had a feeling it would have been a constant miserable battle of wills working with him.

But he was a fascinating man - when we met he talked a lot about the research he was doing on fertility in indiginous tribes in Central America.

[boquiabierta]

I have actually been thinking about what I can do as a nurse to work at ending abortion

Work at reducing unintended pregnancy through comprehensive sexual health education, universal health insurance coverage, and access to long-term reversible contraceptives. That's it. Those are the ways to reduce abortion through reducing the need for abortion.

[boquiabierta]

FWIW, late term abortions, the fetus is injected with potassium through the uterus to stop the heart, prior to the actual D&E procedure.

We use digoxin. I've never heard of potassium. Same idea, though.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes, I think you're right. Dr. Hern explained it to me. I just remember it was a drug that affects cardiac function.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Work at reducing unintended pregnancy through comprehensive sexual health education, universal health insurance coverage, and access to long-term reversible contraceptives. That's it. Those are the ways to reduce abortion through reducing the need for abortion.

Absolutely. A few years ago Colorado received a large grant from Warren Buffett for our Title X program, in order to provide LARCs (IUDs and implantable contraceptives) to every teen and woman who wanted one, regardless of her ability to pay. Over a 5-year period, the abortion rate decreased by 40%.