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A group of nurses and midwives joined the general practitioners to declare that they did not want to participate in the provision of abortion services.
The group, Nurses & Midwives4Life Ireland, stated that if a woman opted for a surgical break, she would be asked to provide the preoperative care she was opposed to.
Last month, hundreds of anti-abortion GPs expressed concerns over the new laws and asked Health Minister Simon Harris not to rush the pbadage of legislation.
Under the Health Bill (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy), conscientious objectors must arrange for the transfer of care of a pregnant woman to enable her to terminate her pregnancy.
However, Nurses & Midwives4Life Ireland states that, although the proposed legislation provides for freedom of conscience, the staff involved must refer the patient to another staff member, which the group considers as participation in the procedure.
In the past three weeks, 378 registered nurses and midwives have signed the Nurses & Midwives4Life Ireland petition.
More than 65,000 nurses and midwives currently work in Ireland.
Mary Fitzgibbon, one of the organizers of the petition, registered nurse and lecturer in nursing, said she did not want to participate "in any way" in the provision of abortion services.
"Participation includes any supervision, delegation, planning or support of staff involved in the termination of pregnancy," she said.
"We do not want to be discriminated against by our employers or victimized if we exercise our right to freedom of conscience."
The petition asks the Minister of Health to consult with nurses and midwives about the legislation.
He also asks the Minister to support the amendments proposed at the report stage of the bill to protect the right to freedom of conscience and says that they are likely to be coerced to leave their profession if they do not comply.
Fiona McHugh, a clinical nurse specialist specializing in pediatrics, said that they had met with representatives of the Irish organization of nurses and midwives and that they had written to the nursing and midwifery board to make their concerns known.
"To date, consultations on the impact of this legislation have been minimal," she said.
She added that hundreds of nurses and midwives involved have made contact with the group.
At the same time, the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has called for the abortion bill to be amended at the report stage to remove "criminal sanctions".
IFPA General Manager, Niall Behan, said that a prison term of up to 14 years would be "suspended" for doctors who made a mistake while leaving a prison. pregnancy or challenging the diagnosis of a fatal abnormality of the fetus.
Doctors may be reluctant to discontinue treatment if they have any doubts about the gestation period or a diagnosis, he said.
"These criminal sanctions already have a deterrent effect on doctors," said Behan.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said, "Section 23 of the 2018 Health Bill (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) covers conscientious objection.
"It is stipulated that if he has a conscientious objection, a doctor, nurse or midwife is not obliged to perform or participate in the termination of pregnancy."
Harris said that abortion services should be in place by the new year.
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