Addressing American bishops at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI warned of “grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism.” He voiced special concern about “certain attempts” to limit freedom of religion. “Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.” [Text of address]
Category: United States
South Carolina Senate takes up protection of conscience bill
The Freedom of Conscience Act, a bill that passed the South Carolina House of Representatives last year, is to be considered by the state senate. It is a procedure-specific statute that focuses on embryonic and foetal research and acts that cause the death of an individual. [Post and Courier]
Protection of conscience bill introduced in Missouri
Missouri Senate Bill 657 is drafted to prevent health care workers or institutions from being compelled to participate in any service or procedure to which they object for reasons of conscience. It is intended to protect them against criminal, civil and administrative proceedings, and from discrimination for the exercise of their convictions.[Lifenews]
Warning that protection of conscience laws may enable euthanasia
Burke J. Balch, J.D., director of National Right to Life Committee’s Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics in the USA, has warned that protection of conscience laws like the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act and Mississippi’s Health Care Rights of Conscience Act are dangerous because they may permit health care workers to commit euthanasia by withdrawing or refusing to provide medical treatment for reasons of conscience. [NRTL News]
Mixed message from US government for victims of unethical medical research
From 1946 to 1948, American and Guatemalan physicians infected prostitutes and prisoners with syphilis without their knowledge or consent in order to test penicillin. The research was discovered by a Wellesley College professor in 2009, and lawyers for the victims filed a class-action lawsuit against the United States. The Obama administration claims that the US is immune from such lawsuits, but has announced that it will spend $1 million to review new rules to protect medical research volunteers, $775,000 to fight sexually transmitted diseases in Guatemala, and will develop a system to compensate anyone harmed in medical research. Lawyers for the Guatemalan victims say that the promised action is inconsistent with the claim of immunity. [Washington Post]