The law has changed but responsibilities of medical profession have not
The Times
In the Germany of Otto von Bismarck, they called it the Kulturkampf, which means cultural struggle. In a narrow sense it referred to the battle between the German state and the Catholic church over schools and ecclesiastical appointments, but more generally to efforts to reduce the influence of Catholicism in German life. The Lutheran church, being state-run, was not deemed a threat to Bismarck’s vision for a newly unified Germany.
The Irish state has not quite got around to seeking control over who gets to become a bishop, but church-run schools are in its sights, and ministers seem determined to reduce the influence of Catholicism in Irish life to a minimum. . . [Full text]
Given the perspective of the author, his description of physicians as “the last line of abortion defence” is understandable. However, refusing to participate in a morally contested procedure so as to preserve one’s moral integrity is not the same as refusal used as a tactic in Kulturkampf skirmishes, which might be better characterized as civil disobedience. When opponents of “X” speak of using conscientious objection to ‘hold the line’ against “X”, they encourage their opponents to dismiss legitimate appeals to freedom of conscience as mere cover for an “anti-X” agenda.