MedSoc Monday: Conscientious Objection in Reproductive Medicine

Do you believe conscientious objection has a place within medicine? Event Details: Date: Monday 15 February 2016Time: 6.

30-8pm
Venue: Cruciform, Lecture Theatre 1
All UCL Students welcome!

UCLU Medical Society Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UCLU Medical Society Debating and UCLU Viva La Vulva are delighted to invite you to our joint event on the motion: 'Does Conscientious Objection undermine  the Practice of Medicine'.

Come and watch our exciting panel of speakers, ranging from practising doctors to current medical students and speakers from reproductive rights charities, discuss whether healthcare professionals have the right to choose not to perform certain procedures based on their personal beliefs. At the end of the debate, the discussion will be opened up to the floor for audience members to ask our panel questions and voice their own opinions.

Our excellent panel:

1. Ann Furedi is Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas), a non-profit charity that provides abortion counselling and treatment for almost seventy thousand women in Britain each year. Ann's background is in journalism and advocacy but she has worked as Director of Policy and Communications for the UK government's Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA), she is a Board member of Ibis Reproductive Health and is chair elect of the Governing Body of Mid Kent College. She is the author of The Moral Case for Abortion to be published in July 2016.
2. Lisa Hallgarten is the Chair of Voice for Choice, the coalition to defend and extend abortion access across the UK. She has worked in reproductive rights for many years as a writer, trainer, teacher and passionate advocate for sex education and abortion rights.  Her special interests are young people's access to accurate information  about pregnancy prevention and pregnancy choices; and ensuring impartial support around pregnancy decision-making for all women.
3. Sean Rees is a third year medical student at UCL. He is currently completing his integrated degree in Medical Anthropology. He is a member of the national pro-choice campaign, 'Abortion Rights', a member of the UCL student action group, 'Viva la Vulva', which raises awareness of gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive rights; and he also volunteers for the 'Target Medicine' scheme. He hopes to specialise in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the future.
4. Dr Adrian Treloar is a Council member of the Catholic Medical Association (CMA). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Member of the Royal College of General Practioners. He is a consultant in Old Age Psychiatry, a former partner in General Practice and he has also worked as a Clinical Director. He has researched and developed services around Palliative Care of Dementia.
5. Dr Susanne Reichenbach is a doctor in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Genitourinary Medicine. She trained in Medicine in Germany where started her career in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in which she obtained an MD. She has also trained in Forensic Gynaecology and is employed as a Senior Specialty Doctor and Sexual Offences Examiner at The Havens in London. As a doctor in Women's Health and a Christian, she has objected to being involved in procedures which terminate established pregnancies.
6. Cajetan Skowronski is a fifth year medical student at UCL. In his prize-winning iBSc dissertation, he argued that modern family planning policies have been strongly influenced by the eugenics movement. He holds a Masters in Politics and Sociology with distinction and is a former President of the UCLU Catholic Society. He has challenged UCL Union's policy of censoring pro-life speakers on campus.

Sean Rees, UCL Anthropology