A Roman Catholic cardinal is asking church members to fight a potential change that would discipline Ontario doctors who won’t provide birth control or refer patients for an abortion.
Thomas Cardinal Collins wrote earlier this month to the province’s Catholic bishops, who in turn enlisted their priests and parishioners.
“Trying to force doctors to act against their conscience would have terrible consequences for all of us,” Bishop Ronald Fabbro, of the Diocese of London, wrote to priests.
Until now, the regulatory college that disciplines doctors left it to them to decide when to withhold treatment or referrals that offended their religious or moral beliefs. [Full text]