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:
Month: August 2013
The problem of unregulated conscientious objection
In late 2010, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was presented with a report from its Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee expressing deep concern about the problem of “unregulated conscientious objection” in Europe. The Committee proposed to solve this problem by having states adopt “comprehensive and clear regulations” to address it.
The Council ultimately adopted a resolution that almost completely contradicted the premises of the report, but in 2011 the theme was resurrected by Dr. Leslie Cannold, an Australian ethicist. Dr. Cannold warned that, “[a]t best, unregulated conscientious objection is an accident waiting to happen,” and, at worst, “a sword wielded by the pious against the vulnerable with catastrophic results.” It was, she wrote, “a pressing problem from which we can no longer, in good conscience, look away.” . . .[Full text]
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.”
Code of Ethics for Midwives
Pursuant to Article 27 Midwifery Act
And Article 22 Statute of the Croatian Chamber of Midwives
Adopted 27 January, 2010
Several sections of the Croatian Code of Ethics for Midwives are relevant to the issue of freedom of conscience. Theses are reproduced below in Croatian and English for the convenience of researchers. For legal or other formal purposes, one should consult the original document and have it professionally translated. [Extracts from the Code]
Etički Kodeks Primalja
Na temelju članka 27. Zakona o primaljstvu (NN 120/08)
te članka 22,Statuta Hrvatske komore primalja
Nekoliko sekcije Hrvatskog Etičkog kodeksa primalja su relevantne za pitanje slobode savjesti. Teze su navedene u nastavku na hrvatskom i engleskom jeziku za praktičnost istraživača. Za pravne ili druge svečane svrhe, treba konzultirati izvorni dokument i to profesionalno prevodi. [Izvadci iz zakona]