A panel of 18 people deemed representative of society, appointed by the French national ethics committee had decided that euthanasia/assisted suicide is a “legitimate right” for the dying or terminally ill. The ethics committee had previously advised the French government against legalizing the procedures because of concern that it would be “dangerous” for society. French President Francois Hollande is reported to be planning to bring forward a bill. [Reuters]
Category: News
Belgian Senate approves euthanasia for children
By a vote of 50-17 the Belgian Senate has approved a bill to allow
euthanasia for children. The bill must pass the House of Representatives before being sent for Royal Assent. Ultimate passage of the bill is predicted by many political observers. [Lifesite News]
Confusing report of Slovenian hospital controversy
Ten physicians at the Ljubljana UKC hospital’s surgery programme for congenital
heart defects of children are reported to have used a “conscience clause” in order to deal with a dispute involving the occasional engagement of foreign surgeons. Their complaint centres on the fact that a visiting Israeli surgeon does not remain for post-operative care of the children. It is not clear how this could have been done, since Slovenian protection of conscience laws are not applicable in the situation described. The report elsewhere refers to the physicians’ action as a “collective resignation.” [STA News Service] The engagement of the Israeli surgeon had previously been found to be and example of corruption [STA News Service].
Protection of conscience bill to be proposed in Alabama
Representative Becky Nordgren of Alabama, is proposing a Health Care Right of Conscience Act in the state legislature. The bill is intended to protect all health care providers from being compelled to participate, directly or indirectly, in abortion, human cloning, human embryonic stem cell research, and sterilization if they object to the procedures for reasons of conscience. A health care provider must give an employer no less than 24 hours written notice of an objection. An exception is made in the case of a procedure necessary to save the life of a patient. Patricia Todd, a Representative apparently hostile to freedom of conscience for health care workers, asked “[W]hy are you in the health care profession if you don’t want to provide health care?” adding that there had been no attempts to regulate male impotence drugs or prostate exams. [Anniston Star]
Kenyan Muslim leader comment on Islamic medical ethics open to question
Sheikh Abduwahab Mursal, described in a Daily Nation report as a “top religious leader” in Kenya, is reported to have said that “it [is] a taboo in the Islamic faith for a woman to be touched by or discuss sexuality with a man even if he is a medical practitioner.” The comment appears in a news story about Sheikh Mursal’s efforts to convince Muslims in Kenya to embrace “modern family planning” practices. [Daily Nation]. The Sheik is secretary of the Wajir branch of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya.
This kind of assertion has created an impression in western countries that Muslim physicians may not examine patients of the opposite sex, an impression that is being used to justify suppression of freedom of conscience among health care workers, and which tends to fuel prejudice against Muslim medical and nursing students and physicians. If the Sheikh’s statement has been accurately reported, it is certainly at odds with practice in even the most conservative Islamic countries.