Canada
College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
Policies relevant to freedom of conscience
Links and annotations
CMA Code of Ethics and Professionalism
Access to Medical Care
Effective 2012 Nov | Revised 2022 Feb 17
Project Annotations
Under Conscientious Objection to Providing Care,"assistance" should not be understood to imply providing or facilitating a
morally contested service, since that interpretation
would render the policy self-contradictory. In
responding to questions from the Project in 2013,
the College provided the following answers:
- Q) Is Access to Medical Care to be understood to
require physicians to do what they believe to be immoral or
unethical?
- Q) Does the College propose to take disciplinary action
against physicians who refuse to do what they believe to be immoral
or unethical?
- A) No, unless the College considers that in those
specific circumstances the physician abandoned the patient
without providing an appropriate level of medical care.
Medical Assistance in Dying
Effective 2016 Sep | Revised 2022 Feb 17
Project Annotations
In the provision about conscientious objection, the policy recognizes an important distinction
between providing information and providing or
facilitating a morally contested service or
procedure.
"An effective transfer of care" is defined as "advising patients that other physicians may be available to see them, suggesting the patient visit an alternate physician or service, and if authorized by the patient, transferring the medical records as required."
In other words, with respect to a transfer of care, the College does not require objecting physicians to initiate a transfer, but only that they cooperate in a patient-initiated transfer if asked to forward the patient's medical record. This is the usual requirement in foreign jurisdictions where euthanasia and assisted suicide are permitted