Ottawa, Ontario May 23, 2019
The Denial of Conscience Rights of Physicians
Four years ago, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) changed its professional guidelines to force Ontario doctors who object to morally objectionable procedures such as abortion, assisted suicide and gender re-assignment surgery, to provide referrals to other doctors in order that these procedures take place. This forces conscientious physicians to participate in procedures contrary to their conscience and religious beliefs.
On May 15, 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal handed down a decision that upheld these controversial guidelines. In its decision, the court dismissed the conscience rights of physicians by stating that if physicians cannot adhere to the guidelines, then these physicians, who are members of a publicly regulated and funded profession, should focus on the public interest and seek out other ways in which to use their skills, training and commitment to patient care. If unable to do so, they should submit to the guidelines.
Ontario is the only provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada which demands physicians act contrary to their consciences.
This is a tragedy for Ontario physicians as well as all others, since the decision specifically denies the protection in Section 2 of the Charter of Rights to freedom of conscience and religion.
Saskatchewan MP David Anderson (Cypress Hills – Grasslands), has introduced Bill C-418 which provides for the protection of conscience rights of physicians. This bill is scheduled to be debated on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. Please contact your MP, of whatever party, requesting that he/she support Mr. Anderson’s Bill C-418.
A petition to protect the conscience rights of physicians, sponsored by CitizenGo, has been made available (Click here). Please sign this petition.
There is also an official Parliament E-Petition that you may want to sign.(Click here)
We live in dangerous times in which conscience rights have become secondary to the opinion of the elites, including judicially-active judges.
For the Family,
REAL Women of Canada