{"id":5561,"date":"2015-01-29T20:46:30","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T04:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=5561"},"modified":"2018-03-05T21:43:24","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T05:43:24","slug":"saskatchewan-physicians-to-be-forced-to-participate-in-killing-their-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=5561","title":{"rendered":"Saskatchewan physicians to be forced to participate in killing their patients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For Immediate Release<\/p>\n<p class=\"author\">Maurice Vellacott, MP Saskatoon-Wanuskewin<\/p>\n<p>OTTAWA \u2013 \u201cThe assault on freedom of conscience that is spreading across our country ought to be of grave concern to every freedom-loving Canadian ,\u201d MP Maurice Vellacott said upon learning of yet another province (this time his own) that plans to force physicians to participate in morally objectionable procedures, including those that kill. \u201cNo health care worker should be forced against their will to take part in the killing of another human being. It would be a grotesque violation of their human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) has adopted in principle a policy<a href=\"#_edn1\" name=\"_ednref1\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[i]<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 which it basically \u201ccut and paste\u201d from the Conscience Research Group\u2019s (CRG\u2019s) <em>Model Policy on Conscientious Objection in Medicine<\/em>.<a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[ii]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Vellcott asked a series of questions that paint a disturbing picture of the process, or lack thereof, that went into CPSS\u2019s adoption of this objectionable policy:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">\u201cWas the CPSS aware that the drafters of the <em>Model Policy<\/em>, notably Professor Jocelyn Downie of Dalhousie University, are abortion and euthanasia activists?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Did the CPSS solicit input from anyone other than Professor Downie and her team at the CRG<a href=\"#_edn3\" name=\"_ednref3\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[iii]<\/span><\/a> before adopting this policy?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Did the Saskatchewan College let on to anyone else that it was even considering this issue?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Is the CPSS aware that this policy was rejected by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA)?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Vellacott explained: \u201cProfessor Downie and co-author Sanda Rodgers, in a 2006 guest editorial in the CMA Journal, ignited a firestorm of controversy when they falsely claimed that CMA policy requires physicians to make abortion referrals regardless of their conscientious\/religious beliefs. As Sean Murphy, Administrator of the Protection of Conscience Project, points out in his recent news release, that claim was repudiated by the CMA and vehemently rejected by physicians. And partly as a result of that negative response, Professor Downie turned her attention to the regulatory Colleges to try to convince them to impose mandatory referral.\u201d<a href=\"#_edn4\" name=\"_ednref4\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[iv]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Mr. Vellacott spoke out against a similar draft policy of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). At that time, he expressed concerns that if the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down Canada\u2019s current ban on euthanasia or assisted suicide, then CPSO\u2019s policy would mean Ontario\u2019s physicians would have a \u2018duty to refer\u2019 patients for these life-ending procedures. He stressed that no other jurisdiction that currently allows euthanasia or assisted suicide imposes such an obligation. <a href=\"#_edn5\" name=\"_ednref5\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[v]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the CPSO policy is not identical to the CPSS\/CRG <em>Model Policy<\/em>, in principle it is the same\u2014a coercive attempt to involve physicians in the killing of some of the most vulnerable members of our human family,\u201d Mr. Vellacott said. \u201cThe sheer fact that these Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons feel that a coercive policy of referral for these controversial procedures is necessary, is itself testament to the fact that there is something inherently problematic about these procedures in the first place. If they were procedures just like any other medical procedure, there\u2019d be no need to coerce physicians into sacrificing a fundamental part of who they are\u2014their very consciences\u2014in order to provide them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo good can come from forcing a doctor to practice medicine in a way they find morally reprehensible. Killing the consciences of our medical doctors will cause inestimable harm to the people of Canada and society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne cannot help but wonder, what is the real motivation of those pushing us down this dangerous path?\u00a0 And will we have the courage and wisdom and foresight to stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>For information on providing input to CPSS on its draft policy, visit: <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cps.sk.ca\/CPSS\/CouncilAndCommittees\/Council_Consultations_and_Surveys.aspx\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">http:\/\/www.cps.sk.ca\/CPSS\/CouncilAndCommittees\/Council_Consultations_and_Surveys.aspx<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<strong><strong>\u2013 30 \u2013<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong><strong>For further information and comment, call (613) 992-1966 or (613) 297-2249<\/strong>; email: <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:maurice.vellacott.a1@parl.gc.ca\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">maurice.vellacott.a1@parl.gc.ca<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref1\" name=\"_edn1\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[i]<\/span><\/a> The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) is currently seeking input on a conscientious objection policy dubbed \u201cConscientious Refusal,\u201d\u00a0 which it has adopted in principle. This policy would require physicians who object to providing certain \u201clegally permissible and publicly-funded health services\u201d to \u201cmake a timely referral to another health care provider who is willing and able to accept the patient and provide the service.\u201d In cases where the patient\u2019s \u201chealth or well-being\u201d would be jeopardized by a delay in finding another physician, the physician would be forced to provide the service even when it \u201cconflicts with physicians\u2019 deeply held and considered moral or religious beliefs.\u201d See: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cps.sk.ca\/Documents\/Council\/2015%201%2019%20Conscientious%20Objection%20policy%20approved%20in%20principle%20by%20Council.pdf\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">http:\/\/www.cps.sk.ca\/Documents\/Council\/2015%201%2019%20Conscientious%20Objection%20policy%20approved%20in%20principle%20by%20Council.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref2\" name=\"_edn2\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[ii]<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/carolynmcleod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/04_Downie-McLeod-Shaw.pdf\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">http:\/\/carolynmcleod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/04_Downie-McLeod-Shaw.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref3\" name=\"_edn3\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[iii]<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/conscience.carolynmcleod.com\/meet-the-team\/%20\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">http:\/\/conscience.carolynmcleod.com\/meet-the-team\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref4\" name=\"_edn4\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[iv]<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/consciencelaws.org\/blog\/?p=5548\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cSaskatchewan physicians to be forced to do what they believe to be wrong,\u201d <\/a>Protection of Conscience Project news release, Jan. 27, 2015<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref5\" name=\"_edn5\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">[v]<\/span><\/a> See Jan. 8, 2015 <a title=\"No legal \u201cduty to refer\u201d for euthanasia or assisted suicide anywhere in the world\" href=\"http:\/\/consciencelaws.org\/blog\/?p=5520\" target=\"_blank\">news release\u00a0 <\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mauricevellacott.ca\/2003%20MV%20Speaks\/Jan.%208,%202015%20-%20MV%20Release%20-%20No%20legal%20%27duty%20to%20refer%27%20for%20euthanasia%20or%20assisted%20suicide%20anywhere%20in%20the%20world%20-%20Backgrounder.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Backgrounder<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Immediate Release Maurice Vellacott, MP Saskatoon-Wanuskewin OTTAWA \u2013 \u201cThe assault on freedom of conscience that is spreading across our country ought to be of grave concern to every freedom-loving Canadian ,\u201d MP Maurice Vellacott said upon learning of yet another province (this time his own) that plans to force physicians to participate in morally &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=5561\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Saskatchewan physicians to be forced to participate in killing their patients&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5432,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,5,10,295,19],"tags":[1525,1527,1197,622,566,1526,314],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-5561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canada","category-ethics","category-news-releases","category-religious-freedom","category-repression-of-conscience","tag-college-of-physicians-and-surgeons-of-saskatchewan","tag-conscience-research-group","tag-jocelyn-downie","tag-maurice-vellacott","tag-physicians","tag-sanda-rodgers","tag-saskatchewan"],"yoast_head":"\r\n<title>Saskatchewan physicians to be forced to participate in killing their patients - 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