I had made a post about this earlier. I would like to go into nursing, but am against abortion completely at all times, I am Catholic, and I would never ever take part in an abortion procedure, nor would i want to care for someone immediately after they had the procedure becuase without me there to do that, the abortion couldnt have happened, so in a way i am still contributing to the abortion. I will make this clear from the start, If somebody had an abortion a year prior or a month prior or whatever else of course i would still care for them. As long as i am not being responsible for that abortion happening,, I could still care for them.
Alot of people said, that is fine just don't work in the ER, OR, OB/GYN areas.. but truthfully i would like to work in all of these areas more then others.... is this possible?
Note: I do not feel that it is any of my business if my patient had an abortion in the past and i would never treat anybody differently becuase they had one in the past. I just need to know that when i sleep at night I am doing the right thing and not going against my beliefs and I think that i deserve those rights..
Thanks for your input! i would love to hear from other pro life nurses most of all and any experiences you have had with this
First let me say that I am prolife....so I am prochoice. I do not believe in making abortion illegal.
My religion, even in its' strictist form permits abortion in some circumstances, and if the mother's health is at serious risk by carrying a child to term, may actually advocate for abortion.
I do not participate in abortion, because the vast number do not meet those ethical guidelines, and because I personally do not feel that I could be the best advocate for those patients, without my personal feelings getting in the way. I am ambivalant about abortion and thus choose to not work in areas where that would be common place.
So I work in oncology, a field that does not deal with those patients. Would I prefer to work in L&D, as I once wished...of course.
But part of having strongly held beliefs and feelings is that if you are going to hold true, you often make sacrifices. That means you may not be able to work in the exact field that you want.
Throughout the history of your religion (like mine), many of its' followers have had to make major sacrifices to espouse those beliefs. And many of those sacrifices have included hardship, occasionally torture or death, for those beliefs.
Sacrificing by working in an area that is not your first choice, to hold true to your deeply held beliefs and feelings is not nearly that difficult a sacrifice, in comparison.
Do keep several things in mind, though.
All areas of nursing contain some theologically devisive issues. In oncology, we often require use of birth control, as some absolutely drug regimens require it (thalidomide). Second, the vast majority of chemotherapeutic agents are incompatible with fetal health, not to mention pregnancy being a serious danger to the health of cancer pts in treatment. And in treatment of severe leukemias/liquid tumors, we often use BC to suppress menses, as there may be much more severe bleeding to the point of major blood losss requiring repeated transfusions. While this is compatible with my ethical/religious beliefs, I have had Catholic staff the objected as well as Catholic pts that refused these interventions.
And on probably 95% of units, patients occasionally face end of life decisions. In many cases, we have pts in severe pain who are compromised. Giving them pain med to make it tolerable may and often does shorten their life. When a pt dies shortly after you have given them meds to make them more comfortable, how are you going to feel? When a family makes the decision to discontinue life support, how will you handle that?
These are things to think hard about.
Also, remember that if you even work at a facility that has any of these practices, you are receiving compensation related to abortion. Is that not profiting from abortion and innately wrong per Catholic guidelines?
(And as an aside, not even working in a Catholic facility may protect you against participating in some unacceptable Catholic activities. In at least two Catholic facilities that I have worked, they very publically were against abortions/BCs/and sterilizations, yet I know for a fact that they did do tubal ligations, and not because the mother's health was at any risk at all from child birth. I believe the phrase on the consent was "Tubal ligation for the purpose of uterine isolation and prevention of disease)
this has absolutely nothing to do with being "compassionate", and everything to do with scope of practice.
yes, nurses are taught how to therapeutically communicate, limit-set, redirect and other interventions we apply in 'managing' a symptomatic pt.
but we are not licensed to be counselors or therapists.
nor are we licensed to give (medical) advice.
if you are saying your state bon allows this, i'd love to know what state you're from.:)
leslie
Hmmm interesting. I didn't know you weren't allowed to listen. And what I said was like, say a teen, which is a rare time, comes in pregnant, is upset, and is just depressed over the situation, maybe suicidal, needs immediate attention. You wouldn't be allowed to sit and listen to her vent? If she says "I know I want to have an abortion, I can't do this." You wouldn't be allowed to say "I understand how you may be feeling, why have you decided on that decision, do you know the risks?" In school, we're taught to actually talk to our patients. I'm not talking about "therapy sessions" I'm talking about just those rare instances that occur every now and then where you may have to take those extra few moments. Never know, you may find out it's not her that wants to abort, but actually her parents. In that turn, I would find a way for them to maybe seek family counseling, and direct it to a professional in that area. I truly believe in sitting and listening to your patients, you can learn a lot about them/ their condition. I understand what you're saying, but what we've been taught in schools, and how our providers in my state work seem completely different. It's so weird to hear all of these different stories. I don't think anyone of us is right, I think it depends on the board, you staying within scope of your pratice, and also what your facility allows. I do know, that in Psych, RN's hold the group, and one-on-one basically "therapy" sessions.. Not psychological, but anger-management, expressing emotions and feelings, commincating effectively. Like I said, my son has been in and out of Psych facilities, and many of them, and they all practice in the same way. Interesting!
Anyway, I'm sure I will have my BSN before I'm in the psych field, due to limited positions in Psych with your LPN. As soon as I receive my BSN I plan on doing case-management, and I think people misunderstood that I'm not going to be a staff nurse, my role will be completely different, so I will have a completely different job description than that of a staff nurse.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
So if one is not pro life would that make them pro death???? I really wish they would update the terminology to Pro Abortion or Anti Abortion or something. Or simply Pro Choice and Anti Choice???
I am pro life for most people, and it has nothing to do with abortions :stone
So if one is not pro life would that make them pro death???? I really wish they would update the terminology to Pro Abortion or Anti Abortion or something. Or simply Pro Choice and Anti Choice???
I am pro life for most people, and it has nothing to do with abortions :stone
I have thought the same thing many times. The pro-abortion vs. anti-abortion wouldn't work or most of the people who are pro-choice however, we are NOT pro-abortion. We simply believe that a woman has the right to choose what happens to her own body.
For example, you are a young woman who is in the prime of her life. Hypothetically, you recieve a diagnosis of colon cancer. Would you think it was right for your oncologist to say..well because you are a young and productive member of society you have to have the chemotherapy, surgery to remove the affected part of your colon and then the radiation after to ensure we erdicated your disease? Or would you prefer to be a participant in your care and make your own decisions?
That is what it boils down to, it's not for or against abortion (although many pro-life people like to make it out that way). It's for a woman's right to choose.
So, when I was saying I would have a problem administering a to-this-date-not-approved-by-the-FDA-abortion-pill, aka RU-486, I meant it.
Again, sorry for going a little off-topic, but where did you get this idea? RU 486 has been FDA approved since, I think, 2000. If it were not FDA approved, it would not be legal to prescribe or dispense it in the US, same as any other Rx medication ...
So if one is not pro life would that make them pro death???? I really wish they would update the terminology to Pro Abortion or Anti Abortion or something. Or simply Pro Choice and Anti Choice???
I am pro life for most people, and it has nothing to do with abortions :stone
ITA -- I've been using "pro-choice" and "anti-choice" consistently for years now. To me "anti-choice" is much clearer and more accurate than "pro-life," since so many anti-abortion folks are perfectly fine with killing people in wars or capital punishment.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
tvccrn said:
I have thought the same thing many times. The pro-abortion vs. anti-abortion wouldn't work or most of the people who are pro-choice however, we are NOT pro-abortion. We simply believe that a woman has the right to choose what happens to her own body.
For example, you are a young woman who is in the prime of her life. Hypothetically, you recieve a diagnosis of colon cancer. Would you think it was right for your oncologist to say..well because you are a young and productive member of society you have to have the chemotherapy, surgery to remove the affected part of your colon and then the radiation after to ensure we erdicated your disease? Or would you prefer to be a participant in your care and make your own decisions?
That is what it boils down to, it's not for or against abortion (although many pro-life people like to make it out that way). It's for a woman's right to choose.
Ok so Pro right to an abortion and Anti right to an abortion
Well, I am probably going to be, and i will be very good at it. I cant believe that people think i should not be a nurse because i refuse to assist in killing babies.
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caroladybelle, BSN, RN
5,486 Posts
First let me say that I am prolife....so I am prochoice. I do not believe in making abortion illegal.
My religion, even in its' strictist form permits abortion in some circumstances, and if the mother's health is at serious risk by carrying a child to term, may actually advocate for abortion.
I do not participate in abortion, because the vast number do not meet those ethical guidelines, and because I personally do not feel that I could be the best advocate for those patients, without my personal feelings getting in the way. I am ambivalant about abortion and thus choose to not work in areas where that would be common place.
So I work in oncology, a field that does not deal with those patients. Would I prefer to work in L&D, as I once wished...of course.
But part of having strongly held beliefs and feelings is that if you are going to hold true, you often make sacrifices. That means you may not be able to work in the exact field that you want.
Throughout the history of your religion (like mine), many of its' followers have had to make major sacrifices to espouse those beliefs. And many of those sacrifices have included hardship, occasionally torture or death, for those beliefs.
Sacrificing by working in an area that is not your first choice, to hold true to your deeply held beliefs and feelings is not nearly that difficult a sacrifice, in comparison.
Do keep several things in mind, though.
All areas of nursing contain some theologically devisive issues. In oncology, we often require use of birth control, as some absolutely drug regimens require it (thalidomide). Second, the vast majority of chemotherapeutic agents are incompatible with fetal health, not to mention pregnancy being a serious danger to the health of cancer pts in treatment. And in treatment of severe leukemias/liquid tumors, we often use BC to suppress menses, as there may be much more severe bleeding to the point of major blood losss requiring repeated transfusions. While this is compatible with my ethical/religious beliefs, I have had Catholic staff the objected as well as Catholic pts that refused these interventions.
And on probably 95% of units, patients occasionally face end of life decisions. In many cases, we have pts in severe pain who are compromised. Giving them pain med to make it tolerable may and often does shorten their life. When a pt dies shortly after you have given them meds to make them more comfortable, how are you going to feel? When a family makes the decision to discontinue life support, how will you handle that?
These are things to think hard about.
Also, remember that if you even work at a facility that has any of these practices, you are receiving compensation related to abortion. Is that not profiting from abortion and innately wrong per Catholic guidelines?
(And as an aside, not even working in a Catholic facility may protect you against participating in some unacceptable Catholic activities. In at least two Catholic facilities that I have worked, they very publically were against abortions/BCs/and sterilizations, yet I know for a fact that they did do tubal ligations, and not because the mother's health was at any risk at all from child birth. I believe the phrase on the consent was "Tubal ligation for the purpose of uterine isolation and prevention of disease)