Susan Carter warns NSW healthcare workers' conscientious objection at risk

Liberal MLC Susan Carter warned doctors and nurses in New South Wales that their right to conscientious objection is at risk. Speaking to members of the St Thomas More Society and the NSW Catholic Medical Association, Carter stated that healthcare workers who refuse to participate in abortions or voluntary assisted dying face increasing hostility.

Carter told the gathering of doctors and lawyers that health bureaucrats often describe practitioners who decline to participate in procedures on ethical grounds as obstructions to be removed rather than professionals with strong ethical compasses. She noted a growing endorsement of authoritarian majoritarianism among colleagues in Parliament and constituents.

The warning follows previous comments from political and health officials. Carter cited Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn, who previously told Parliament that conscientious objection should not be used to restrict access to care by entire departments or institutions. Additionally, the CEO of Murrumbidgee Health District told a budget estimates committee last year that the district would prefer to hire people for key roles based on whether they object to abortion. Carter warned that these trends leave those who view abortion and voluntary assisted dying as unethical on shaky ground.