Conscientious objection becomes issue in Ireland
Enda Kenny, the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, has declared that all members of his Fine Gael party must support the new abortion law being proposed by the government. All must follow the party line; none will be allowed to vote according to conscience.
“Conscience objection doesn’t absolve people from responsibility,” he said, saying members would be expected “to act and vote in accordance with the decisions of the party.” [The Journal]
The proposed law is a response to world-wide controversy over the death of a woman at a hospital in Galway in October, 2012. (See A “medical misadventure” in Ireland)
Related:
- Ireland announces abortion law reforms, leaving no one satisfied
- Abortion controversy in Ireland
- Irish panel of appointees recommends compulsory referral for abortion
- Message to Irish lawmakers: “Exceptions don’t work”
- Controversy in Ireland over death of woman after abortion refused
- Submission to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
- Conscientious Objection in Ireland
Discrimination at the doctor’s office
New England Journal of Medicine
Perspective
Doctors dedicate themselves to helping others. But how selective can they be in deciding whom to help? Recent years have seen some highly publicized examples of doctors who reject patients not because of time constraints or limited expertise but on far more questionable grounds, including the patient’s sexual orientation, parents’ unwillingness to vaccinate (in surveys, as many as 30% of pediatricians say they have asked families to leave their practice for this reason), and most recently, the patient’s weight. [Read more . . .]
A “medical misadventure” in Ireland
Deaths of Savita & Prasa Halappanavar
Galway, Ireland: 21-28 October, 2012
Savita Halappanavar was a 31 year old woman who was 17 weeks pregnant when she presented at the University Hospital, Galway, on 21 October, 2012, with a miscarriage. She spontaneously delivered a stillborn daughter, Prasa, on the afternoon of 24 October, and died from sepsis early on 28 October. The circumstances of her death generated a hurricane of controversy in Ireland and around the world about Irish abortion law. A coroner’s inquest held in Galway in April, 2013 resulted in the classification of Savita’s death as a “medical misadventure.”
What follows is a chronological account of Savita’s care and treatment from 21 to 28 October, drawn from newspaper reports of the evidence taken at the inquest. [Read more . . .]
Related:
- Ireland announces abortion law reforms, leaving no one satisfied
- Abortion controversy in Ireland
- Irish panel of appointees recommends compulsory referral for abortion
- Message to Irish lawmakers: “Exceptions don’t work”
- Controversy in Ireland over death of woman after abortion refused
- Submission to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution
- Conscientious Objection in Ireland
Council of Europe Hailed for Religious-Freedom Resolution
Resolution 1928 says that the assembly must ‘accommodate religious beliefs in the public sphere by guaranteeing freedom of thought in relation to health care, education and the civil service.’
National Catholic Register
STRASBOURG, France — A resolution passed by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly is being lauded as an important — although limited — recognition of religious and conscience rights in the public sphere.
“The important step with this resolution is the mention of the right to conscientious objection and the enlargement of its scope of application,” Grégor Puppinck, general director of the European Centre for Law and Justice, told Catholic News Agency April 29. [Read more . . .]