Protection of Conscience Project
Protection of Conscience Project
www.consciencelaws.org
Service, not Servitude

Service, not Servitude

INTERNATIONAL

Secret Memos Reveal Worldwide Pro-Abortion Legal Strategy
CFAM | The Friday Fax has acquired a number of internal memos produced by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) that map out CRR's multi-year strategy for establishing binding and enforceable international reproductive rights laws . . . CRR claims to have found, or "grounded," a right to abortion in the right to life, the right to health, even the right to enjoy scientific progress. CRR favors this approach because "there is a stealth quality to the work: we are achieving incremental recognition of values without a huge amount of scrutiny from the opposition." . . . continue reading

CANADA

Erin O'Toole on referral by practitioners opposed to euthanasia, abortion, etc.
Would-be Conservative Prime Minister: "they will have to refer"
Transcript of statements made during 2021 election media conference
Q)     Liberals say doctors have a moral obligation to refer patients for services like abortion, gender affirmation surgery, medical assistance in dying. Not just an obligation to help or conduct these procedures, but to refer them as well, to refer patients to other professionals. So, do you support the rights of health care professionals to not have to refer these services? Yes or no. . . . continue reading
Quebec's Charter of Values
Outline of government proposals and rationale (September, 2013)
In Quebec, the issue of religious accommodation is still not resolved. In her inaugural speech, Prime Minister Pauline Marois recalled that the issues raised by the "crisis" of reasonable accommodations were outstanding. The government has a firm commitment to clarify them. The proposals we submit meet this commitment . . .continue reading
Government policy document (September, 2013)
Governmental guidelines for managing applications for religious accommodation, affirmation of the values of Quebec society and the secular nature of the state institutions. . . continue reading
Preliminaries to the Charter: Implications of state sovereignty over education, religion and ethics
Sean Murphy | . . .Will the government of Quebec - sooner or later -  use its Charter of Values to suppress freedom of conscience and religion among health care workers?  An answer to the question is suggested by a review of the Quebec government's continuing efforts to establish state hegemony in the moral and ethical education of children. . . continue reading
Promises, promises
Canadian law reformers promise tolerance, freedom of conscience
Sean Murphy |  With the passage of the Quebec euthanasia law and the pending case of Carter v. Canada in the Supreme Court of Canada, physicians, medical students, nurses and other health care workers opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide for reasons of conscience are confronted by the prospect that laws against the procedures will be struck down or changed.  They may wonder what the future holds for them if that happens. . . continue reading
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Consultation on Physicians and the Human Rights Code (Ending 5 August, 2014)
Sean Murphy |  An unknown number of respondents contributed through more than one of the consultation feedback portals (On-line Poll, On-line Survey, Discussion Forum, email, regular mail).  It is not possible to derive from the totality of consultation feedback a single, accurate global number of responses with respect to questions of particular interest. . .  On-line Survey responses do not support a policy of mandatory referral.  Rather, they indicate that mandatory referral is a highly controversial subject. . .continue reading
The SNC-Lavalin affair raises the issue of politicians’ conflict between their conscience and party politics.
There are good reasons to favour conscience.
Brian Bird |  . . . Freedom of conscience promotes moral growth, for individuals and societies alike. Conscience, though inherently individual, is vital to the common good. In order to realize societies that are just and equitable, it is safe to say that freedom of conscience — especially for the people who govern and shape them — is nothing short of indispensable. . .continue reading

SWEDEN

Swedish Parliament declares itself against freedom of conscience
Swedish Parliamentary Debate: Freedom of conscience in health care.
Re: Resolution 1763(2010) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
11 May, 2011 |  The Swedish Parliament debated a report referring to a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which affirmed support for freedom of conscience for health care workers. The prospect that medical professionals and health care workers might exercise freedom of conscience horrified the Left Party and alarmed other Swedish political parties.  In the debate, Sweden formally set itself against freedom of conscience for health care workers, albeit in language less extreme than that advocated by the Left Party. . .continue reading
Motion 2010/11:U298 - The Millenium Development Goals
Sweden's Left Party was horrified when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe affirmed its support for freedom of conscience for health care workers  in October, 2010. In response, the Party proposed the following motion to the Swedish parliament. Among other things, it asserted that Sweden should "actively work to repeal the resolution." . . .continue reading
Foreign Affairs Committee Report 2010/11:UU12
This report from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swedish Parliament was debated on 11 May, 2011. The part of the report relevant to a European Union resolution supporting freedom of conscience for health care workers is reproduced here.  The Foreign Affairs Committee recommended that Parliament formally advise the Government that it is critical of the resolution and wanted it changed. . . continue reading
Presentation to Parliament 2010/11:ER1 -From Sweden's delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The following extract from a lengthy report to the Swedish parliament refers to a resolution of the European Parliament affirming support for freedom of conscience of health care workers. . . continue reading
Government Communication 2010/11: 54 - Presentation of the activities of the Committee of Ministers, etc. in 2009 and first half of 2010
As indicated by the following table of contents, this report to the Swedish parliament covers the activities of the Committee of Ministers at the European Union during 2009 and the first half of 2010. PACE Resolution 1763 supporting freedom of conscience for health care workers is not mentioned because it was not adopted until the fall of 2010, subsequent to the period covered by this report. . . continue reading

UNITED STATES

2012

White House Press Secretary downplays revolt against HHS contraceptive mandate
The Obama adminstration announced on 20 January, 2012, that it would proceed with plans to force employers to pay for insurance coverage for "contraceptive services" (which include surgical sterilization and potentially embryocidal and abortifacient drugs and devices).  Various religious groups protested strenuously.  By the end of the month, over half the Catholic bishops in the country had denounced the plan; many said they would refuse to comply with the law.  A reporter at the White House press briefing called this  "a pretty extraordinary situation."  What follows is an annotated extract of the questions and answers on this topic during the news conference. . . continue reading

2011

Abortion Ideology Trumps Aid for Victims of Human Trafficking
Jonathon Imbody | . . . The decision to insist on submission to its abortion ideology as a condition for federal grants illustrates the depth of the administration's radical abortion policy and its increasingly obvious disdain for conscience rights and religious freedom. . .continue reading
In good conscience: rebuttal revisits arguments
Prof. David Crockett |. . . If my column "shattered" the "sense of safety" of certain individuals on campus, I would gently suggest they reexamine the place of political discourse at a university.. . .continue reading
Threats to freedom of conscience could have far-reaching consequences
Prof. David Crockett |. . . alas, the assault on conscience has begun, led by various forces in government, academia and pressure groups. The most common threats come in the areas of health care, religious integrity and nondiscrimination policies. . .
continue reading

2010

Objectors shouldn't work in emergency rooms:
Massachusetts Attorney General rejects accommodation of religious freedom
Radio interview  | . . . "I would not. . . pass a bill . . . to say that if people believe that they don't want to provide services that are required under the law and under Roe vs. Wade that they can individually decide to not follow the law. . ."
continue reading

2009

The Right of Conscience in the Age of Obama
  • Daniel Allott & Matt Bowman | . . .The anti-conscience movement has increasingly targeted pharmacists. According to Denise Burke of American United for Life, "The abortion lobby...recognize[s] that if [it] can establish legal precedent to coerce someone to violate their conscience regarding contraceptives, [it] can then easily extend that legal precedent to [RU-486], to coerce medical students to participate in abortion training, and to coerce doctors to participate in surgical abortion." . . .
    continue reading
  • A Matter of Conscience: Obama weakens protections for medical professionals opposed to abortion.
    Marilyn Musgrave & Marjorie Dannenfelser | . . .Many doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers will confront the dilemma of choosing between their conscience and their call to serve fellow citizens in our nation's hospitals and clinics. They will be forced to either violate their conscience and keep their jobs, or respect their beliefs and pay the price by leaving their careers. . .
    continue reading
    Response to threats against freedom of conscience posed by policies of Obama administration
    As a result of threats to freedom of conscience in health care posed by the policies of the Obama administrations, in September, 2009, a letter was sent to President Obama on behalf of over 50 conscience-supportive organizations represented by the Freedom2Care coalition (www.Freedom2Care.org). It noted that over 10,000 healthcare professionals and other individuals had signed a petition that included a statement of support for freedom of conscience for health care workers.