ON DISASTERS

In saying these things we do not imagine that there is anything original in them. They express what we believe to be the principles and practice of the vast majority of practising doctors. But they can well be more widely appreciated. Many participants especially the non-medical ones in the abortion debate display too little awareness of the dilemma of the conscientious doctor in this context. In making his decision he has many factors to take into account and to attempt to reconcile the law that is clear, the law that is undefined, the rules of conduct of his medical associanon, his profession's inviolable respect for human life, his immediate duty to the patient who has put herself in his hands, the conflict of interests that there may appear to be between the mother and her unborn child, the interests of the father, personal moral conviction and conscience, professional integrity, sense of compassion, clinical judgement. All these elements and othersperhaps some less worthy can be there. They are a formidable lot, and experience so far, especially in the United Kingdom, gives little support to the idea that law reform can be counted upon to bring them all into sweet harmony. The good doctor does not thrust any of them lightly aside. Perhaps this is what hinders us from doing much about the common jibe that "doctors are too conservative".