Two Catholic midwives in Scotland have been told by a court that they must supervise and support staff in the labour ward of their hospital who perform abortions irrespective of their religious convictions.
As reported by Catholic News Agency, Scotland’s highest civil court ruled that the women’s religious liberties were not being infringed because “the nature of their duties does not in fact require them to provide treatment to terminate pregnancies directly”.
However, as senior staff, they are also expected to be on standby to help in abortion procedures in certain medical situations. In other words, their duties might include assisting directly in abortions after all.