Category: Law

Committee votes not to send conscience rights bill to house for debate

Edmonton Journal

Lisa Johnson

21 November, 2019

A bill creating special conscience rights for doctors will not move on to debate in the house after doctors and health-care advocates told legislators in a committee meeting Thursday night that it put access to medical care at risk.

A committee voted 8-2 for Bill 207 to not proceed, including 4 UCP MLAs voting against it going to debate.

“No one right is more important than another right. When our rights as human beings come into conflict with each other’s rights, we must always ask ourselves: where is the greater harm?” said Stephanie Shostak of the Trans Equality Society of Alberta at the committee meeting. . . [Full text]

Bill removes checks on doctors who put conscience over patients’ well-being

174 Alberta physicians sign letter against protection of conscience bill

Edmonton Journal

Michelle Jung

Please consider this letter of concern regarding Bill 207 Conscience Rights Protection Act. As practising physicians, we have significant concerns with this legislation.

Physicians have numerous responsibilities, of which the most important is protecting the interests of our patients. Section 4(a) states that “Despite any provision of the Health Professions Act, a regulatory body may not impose a requirement on a health care provider that may result in the health care provider being compelled, directly or indirectly, to perform a health care service that they determine would infringe their conscientious beliefs.” . . .[Full text]

These Are The 26 States Where Women Can’t Sue If They Suffer Harm After Being Denied An Abortion

Newsweek

Kashmira  Gander

Most U.S. states ban women from suing health care providers if they are harmed after being denied an abortion due to conscience laws, a study has revealed.

Conscience law enables institutions and individuals to refuse to participate in abortions on moral or religious grounds. The research published in the journal JAMA showed half of states have no limitations on the rights of institutions to refuse to terminate pregnancies in such circumstances.

The study was prompted in part by recent lawsuits against Catholic hospitals that refused abortions to women having miscarriages, study author Professor Nadia N. Sawicki, Co-Director of the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, told Newsweek. . . [Fulltext]

Consultation, possible changes after pushback against conscience rights bill

Edmonton Journal

Lisa Johnson

Backbench UCP MLA Dan Williams continued to take heat from the NDP Opposition Monday for introducing conscience rights legislation and offered changes to the controversial bill meant to protect health-care access.

“My intention with offering these amendments is a genuine olive branch, a genuine attempt to say ‘the purpose of this bill is to protect conscience rights, and in no way has any desire to limit access,’” said Williams, MLA for Peace River, in a committee on private member’s bills. . . [Full text]

Lack of public input stalls physician conscience bill at legislature committee

MLA who put private member’s bill forward has already drawn up amendments

CBC News

A wave of public debate over a bill that aims to support the conscience beliefs of medical professionals has the Peace River MLA who drew up the bill already making adjustments. 

Speaking to a legislature standing committee, Dan Williams said he’d had numerous discussions since introducing Bill 207 on Nov. 7, prompting him to draft amendments to address concerns he was hearing. [Full text]