Conscience Or Tyranny

Conscience Or Tyranny

Right to Life applauds a group of courageous pro – life doctors challenging the Medical Council’s provisions relating to abortion included in its draft document titled, ” Beliefs and Medical Practice” The Pro-life doctors have filed an application with the High Court in Wellington for a judicial review of the draft document.

The draft document requires a medical practitioner to inform a woman who is ambivalent about her pregnancy, “is offered access to objective information or assistance to enable her to make informed decisions on all available options for her pregnancy including termination.”

In the event that the doctor on the grounds of conscience is not prepared to provide advice on abortion the doctor is obliged to inform the woman requesting the service that she may obtain that service from another health practitioner or a family planning clinic.

Right to Life contends that the above requirements are an infringement on the conscience of medical practitioners and constitute a violation of human rights. Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom to enable him to make moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience, nor must he be prevented from acting according to his informed conscience. Our conscience enables us to do good and avoid evil. The Medical Council has a duty to protect the conscience of medical professionals.

• We are all called to defend life. Medical practitioners have a duty of care to their patients and to do no harm. When a doctor is being consulted by a woman who is with child, the doctor is dealing with two patients. He has a duty of care for the unborn child, who is the weakest and most defenceless member of the human family. A doctor has no duty to offer the killing of the child as a treatment option nor is he obliged to facilitate its killing. A doctor also has a responsibility to protect the mother from spiritual damage and a lifetime of regret, anguish, low self esteem and serious mental ill health that could result from an abortion. It is tragic at this time when the High Court has warned that there is serious concern about the lawfulness of many abortions authorised in New Zealand that the Medical Council should be seeking to expedite the killing of unborn children.

• In 1948 the General Assembly of the World Medical Association in Geneva passed a Declaration on the responsibilities of medical practitioners, it included, “The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration.” It also stated, “I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of its conception, even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.” The Geneva Declaration was made in response to the crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Will the Medical Council learn from history?

• Right to Life requests that the Medical Council promotes a culture of life and opposes a culture of death by amending the draft document to uphold the primacy of conscience and protect women’s health and the lives of their unborn children.

ENDS

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