During the 146th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Calgary, Alberta, discussion of motions concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide demonstrated how contentious the issues are for physicians. The delegates could not even agree upon what terminology should be used for the procedures, referring the question to the CMA board of directors. [Vancouver Sun; CMAJ] However, delegates “easily” passed a motion put forward by one of the delegates to support physician freedom of conscience:
Category: News
Irish government signals intention to force Catholic hospitals to provide abortion
Physician recommends expansion of abortion services beyond designated facilities
Quoting an unnamed official of the Irish Department of Health, the Irish Independent has reported that the Irish government intends to force Catholic hospitals to provide abortions under the new Irish abortion law. The official is quoted as saying that the new law provides for conscientious objection for individuals, but the exemption ” does not apply to a hospital.”
The Irish Independent also reports that Dr. Kevin Walsh, a cardiologist at Mater Hospital, Dublin, has said that more hospitals should be designated to provide abortions, as he believes that the obstetric hospitals do not have the resources to manage women who are “pregnant and critically ill with heart disease.” Abortions in such circumstances would be better provided in acute care hospitals, he said, “on an urgent planned basis rather than immediate emergency basis.”
Mater board priest says hospital can’t carry out abortions
Board of governors to consider position on new law versus Mater ‘ethos’
Irish Times
The Mater hospital in Dublin “cannot comply” with the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act and cannot carry out abortions, a member of its board of governors has said.
Fr Kevin Doran was speaking to The Irish Times as the board prepares to meet in the coming weeks to discuss how or whether the hospital will abide by the legislation. [Full text]
Most Canadian doctors unwilling to partake in physician-assisted suicide if legalized, survey suggests
Calgary Herald
Just 26 per cent of doctors surveyed by the Canadian Medical Association said they would be “very or somewhat likely” to participate in doctor-assisted dying.
Only one quarter of the nation’s doctors would be willing to help terminally ill patients end their lives if the practice of doctor-assisted suicide were legalized in this country, a survey by Canada’s biggest doctors’ group suggests.
Just 26 per cent of doctors surveyed by the Canadian Medical Association said they would be “very or somewhat likely” to participate in doctor-assisted dying, while 54 per cent were “very or somewhat unlikely” to do so, according to a summary of the survey posted on the CMA’s website. [ Full text]
Ostala bez posla u kninskoj bolnici: “Dali su mi otkaz jer nisam pristala sudjelovati u pobačaju”
Slobodna Dalmacija
3 August, 2013
Liječnici i medicinske sestre u Hrvatskoj mogu se pozvati na prigovor savjesti u situacijama kada ih njihova vjerska uvjerenja priječe da sudjeluju u medicinskim zahvatima protivnim postulatima vjere. Jedan od takvih zahvata je namjerni prekid trudnoće.
Na priziv savjesti, međutim, ne mogu se pozvati vjernice primalje. Makar se ne mogu pozvati u Općoj bolnici “Hrvatski ponos” u Kninu jer bi, poput Jage Stojak, mogle ostati bez posla.
‘Slomljene’ na razne načine
Jagi Stojak (49), naime, nakon 27 godina radnoga staža, od kojih je posljednjih 14 provela radeći kao primalja u kninskoj bolnici, na kućnu adresu u Kninu stigla je Odluka o redovitom otkazu ugovora o radu jer je 14. lipnja ove godine odbila prisustvovati zahvatu namjernog prekida trudnoće pozvavši se na priziv savjesti. -Nije to bio prvi i jedini put kad sam kao praktična vjernica, katolikinja, odbila sudjelovati u tom zahvatu. O tome se mnogo polemiziralo i sastančilo u bolnici jer je više primalja bilo istog uvjerenja. . . [Puni Tekst]