Catholic doctors who want to follow Church teaching on sexual ethics have been told they can’t train as gynaecologists in the United Kingdom.
Charlie O’Donnell, a consultant in emergency and intensive care medicine, sounded this warning at a Catholic Medical Association Conference in the UK.
He said the best advice he could give to an “orthodox” Catholic wishing to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology would be to “emigrate”.
Dr O’Donnell pointed out the difficulties for Catholics trying to object on conscience grounds to certain tasks during their training.
These included prescribing artificial contraception, giving unmarried couples fertility treatment and giving Viagra to gay couples.
The Healthcare Reference Group for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has received legal advice that any move that would see Catholics excluded from practising as gynaecologists would be unlawful.