Under the Category of: HEALTH
Be it resolved that a new section be added to the PC Party’s policy declaration on Health Care, as follows:
“The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario supports conscience rights for doctors, nurses, and other health care workers to refuse to participate in, or refer their patients for, abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.”
Rationale explaining why the above policy resolution should be adopted:
1. Section 2a under the federal Charter of Rights & Freedoms guarantees freedom of conscience and religion to all Canadians, health care workers included.
2. This fundamental freedom is under threat by the federal Liberal government’s Bill C-14 which became law and legalized both euthanasia and assisted suicide, but failed to include any protections whatsoever for conscientious objectors who believe that taking the life of human beings is unethical, immoral, or violates the tenets of their religion.
3. The passage of Bill C-14 into law redefined acts of euthanasia and assisted suicide as a form of “medical treatment”. As such, regulation of these practices is the prerogative of provincial governments, and therefore, provinces have the power to institute conscience protections for health care workers, either by legislation or regulation.
4. A failure by the Ontario legislature to provide positive conscience protection within the assisted death regime, will leave doctors unprotected, at the mercy of the liberal-minded College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, who have signalled they want to supress conscience rights. Refusal to comply with directives by the colleges will place doctors at risk of being professionally disciplined or having to leave their practices. This will reduce overall diversity of available physicians and reduce care options for patients who want to have a doctor who has clearly defined positions on these controversial issues.
5. The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario is committed to protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Ontarians, regardless of occupation.
To download this proposed policy resolution as a MS Word document, together with the Rationale, click here.