Policy Statements
Medical students call for aCTION ON IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HEALTH
AMSI are proud to launch their Climate Change and Health policy statement, written by a group of medical students and AMSI members. It is a literature review focussing on 4 main topics: Medical conditions, Climate anxiety, Medical waste, Climate refugees, and details the relationship between the medical profession and climate change.
“As an association representing future medical professionals, The Association of Medical Students Ireland (AMSI) understands it’s responsibility in promoting public awareness and campaigning on a matter that is rapidly changing and that not only threatens the health of our patients but also threatens our local, national and global communities.”
“Climate change is recognised as one of the biggest global threats of the 21st century, and direct impacts to health occur due to changes in temperature and weather patterns which can result in heat related morality or physical injury.”
This policy statement has been presented at both the Environ 2020 conference and the Environment, Health and Wellbeing conference.
Read more of our “Climate Change and Health” policy now.
Medical students call for safe access to abortion in Ireland
The Association of Medical Students of Ireland (AMSI) have revised their policy on safe access to abortion, originally published in April 2018.
Read our updated policy here
The Association has number of key additions to it’s policy:
1. AMSI calls for no new type of conscientious objection: “AMSI recognises the right of healthcare providers to abstain from providing abortion care but does not support conscientious objection in the context of refusal to refer or provide patients with the information necessary to access full reproductive healthcare services.”
2. On Northern Ireland: “AMSI supports the need for legislative reform concerning abortion in Northern Ireland. AMSI believes that those residing in Northern Ireland should be able to access abortion services in the Republic of Ireland in the same manner that they would engage with other services within the Health Service Executive.”
3. On safe zones: “It is fundamental that these services can be accessed without fear of breach of confidentiality or harassment so we call for legislation on the implementation of safe zones around abortion services.”
4. AMSI also vows to “Advocate that contraceptives should be free to all and also that abortion services should also be free to all who need them”
Sarah Morgan, AMSI National Officer for Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Final Year Queens University Belfast medical student: “I am delighted that AMSI’s updated policy statement ‘Safe Accession to Abortion in Ireland’ is being launched. The policy statement has been updated to further reflect the impact abortion has on patients and the wider medical profession with a patient-centred focus. We have made more commitments to improving access to reproductive healthcare in Ireland and advocating for the reform of reproductive healthcare services in Northern Ireland.”
The changes were passed after a vote of each of the 7 AMSI Local Committees.
Amsi statement on safe access to abortion in ireland
AMSI recognises that medical students hold wide-ranging moral and religious beliefs about abortion and, consequently, about the appropriateness of the 8th Amendment's presence in Bunreacht na hÉireann.
Nevertheless, AMSI is committed to upholding the principles of evidence-based practice and supports access to safe abortion on public health, reproductive health, human rights, and social justice grounds. We believe that individual decisions about reproductive healthcare are personal, and should not be affected by the moral and religious beliefs of others.
Read our policy statement "Safe Access to Abortion in Ireland" now.
