Exploring pharmacists' views surrounding conscientious objection to abortion and implications in practice

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Bioethics
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• UK General Pharmaceutical Council standards permit religious practice but require patient-centered care.
• Pharmacists may face conflicts between conscientious objection (CO) to abortion and their professional duty of care.
• This highlights a tension between personal beliefs and professional obligations in pharmacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore UK pharmacists' perspectives on conscientious objection (CO) to abortion.
• To determine if CO extends to the provision of emergency contraception (EC).
• To understand the impact of CO on professional pharmacy practice.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 18 UK pharmacists.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim.
• Thematic analysis was employed using NVivo11 software.

Main Results:

• Five key themes emerged: defining abortion, belief influences, conscience conflicts, accommodation, and professional duties.
• Polarized views exist regarding emergency contraception (EC) as an abortifacient.
• Conflicts arose concerning referral, EC supply, and pharmacist employability, with some viewing CO as incompatible with patient choice.

Conclusions:

• Conscientious objection (CO) to abortion presents significant conflicts and challenges within UK pharmacy practice.
• While most pharmacists believe CO can be accommodated, practical implementation is difficult.
• Ensuring patient duty of care and navigating the debate on EC's role in abortion remain key challenges.