Susan Carter warns of threat to conscientious objection for NSW healthcare workers

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

Carter stated that health bureaucrats often describe practitioners who decline to participate in procedures like surgical abortions as obstructions to be removed rather than professionals with ethical compasses. She noted a growing endorsement of authoritarian majoritarianism among her colleagues in Parliament and her constituents.

The warning follows previous comments from other officials. Carter cited Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn, who 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 those who believe abortion and voluntary assisted dying are unethical are now on shaky ground.