Quebec euthanasia proposal challenged as unbalanced

Margaret Somerville, founding Director of McGill University’s Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, criticizes the report of Quebec’s Select Committee on Dying with Dignity on the ground that it is unbalanced “and reads rather like a pro-euthanasia manifesto.”  She notes that two thirds of the submissions received by the Committee opposed euthansia. [The Gazette]

 

U.S. Supreme Court begins hearing on federal health care reforms

The U.S. Supreme Court has commenced three days of hearings in a suit brought against the health care reform legislation that is generating significant controversy in the United States, much of it to do with general claims to freedom of conscience and religion. 26 state attorneys general have challenged the constitutionality of the legislation, and amicus briefs have been filed by seven medical organizations.[National Post]

 

Pharmaceutical Hippocratic Oath

The Pharmaceutical Hippocratic Oath has been prepared by Reprieve, an organization in the United Kingdom that works to ensure fair judicial processes around the world. The group places special emphasis on cases involving capital punishment.  The oath includes the following statement:

“We dedicate our work to developing and distributing pharmaceuticals to the service of humanity; we will practice our profession with conscience and dignity; the right to health of the patient will be our first consideration; we condemn the use of any of our pharmaceuticals in the execution of human beings.”

Some of the issues associated with the campaign it are relevant to freedom of conscience for health care workers, especially pharmacists.  They include the problem of complicity, degrees of participation and the apparent appeal to a de facto corporate conscience.

U.S. federal directive offers model for protection of conscience

The U.S. Agency for International Development has published a directive that includes a provision that prevents the federal government from denying funds to groups because they refuse to provide services to which they have moral or religious objections.  The directive concerns only specific programmes funded by one agency, but it is of interest because the Obama administration has discriminated against a  Catholic agency because of its refusal to provide abortion and contraception. [CNS]

 

Alabama seeks to join lawsuit to protect freedom of conscience

The Attorney General of Alabama is reported to be seeking to join a lawsuit against the federal government launched by the Eternal Word Television Network to stop the federal government from forcing objecting employers to provide insurance coverage for surgical sterilization, contraceptives and embryocides.  The Attorney General considers the Obama administration’s regulation unconstitutional. [WAAY TV]