{"id":295437,"date":"2023-07-30T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=295437"},"modified":"2023-07-28T14:57:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T19:57:15","slug":"world-medical-eviscerates-conscience-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/world-medical-eviscerates-conscience-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Medical Association subtly eviscerates conscience rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(National Review<\/a>) The World Medical Association has published a revised \u201cInternational Code of Medical Ethics\u201d that is intended as \u201ca canon of ethical principles for the members of the medical profession worldwide.\u201d Most of it is fine. For example, the code states that \u201cthe physician must provide care with the utmost respect for human life and dignity, and for the autonomy and rights of the patient,\u201d and that doctors are not to have sexual relations with their current patients.<\/p>\n

But, problematically, the WMA has eviscerated medical conscience rights in a way that would compel doctors to engage in interventions and actions to which they are morally or religiously opposed. It doesn\u2019t do this blatantly, but subtly. From the code<\/a> (my emphasis):<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

29. This Code represents the physician\u2019s ethical duties. However, on some issues there are profound moral dilemmas concerning which physicians and patients may hold deeply considered but conflicting conscientious beliefs.<\/p>\n

The physician has an ethical obligation to minimise disruption to patient care. Physician conscientious objection to provision of any lawful medical interventions may only be exercised if the individual patient is not harmed or discriminated against and if the patient\u2019s health is not endangered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The physician must immediately and respectfully inform the patient of this objection and of the patient\u2019s right to consult another qualified physician and provide sufficient information to enable the patient to initiate such a consultation in a timely manner.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the problem with the italicized bit. \u201cLawful medical interventions\u201d includes human-life-taking actions such as abortion and euthanasia, as well as what many doctors consider to be harmful and\/or permanently disfiguring gender-transition procedures (including on children) such as puberty-blocking, mastectomies for teenagers, facial reconstructions, and genital removal and refashioning.<\/p>\n

Note that the code only permits doctors to refuse participation in such cases \u201cif the patient is not discriminated against.\u201d Well, we know how that works. Refusing legal abortion is castigated widely as \u201cdiscrimination\u201d<\/a> in mainstream bioethics, by the medical establishment, in politically progressive legislation, and in progressive cultural and legal advocacy.<\/p>\n

Ditto, refusing gender-transition procedures<\/a>. Also, as we have seen in U.S. abortion jurisprudence and international pro-abortion advocacy, \u201charm\u201d or \u201cendangered health\u201d is often interpreted to include nonphysical<\/em> consequences<\/a> such as emotional distress, financial outcomes, and patient self-esteem.<\/p>\n

Hence, the medical conscience provision of the WMA uses bland wording to eviscerate the right of doctors to refuse to participate in highly contentious and sometimes lethal actions that they find morally objectionable or that violate their religious beliefs.<\/p>\n

The code also requires physicians to actively oppose laws and ethics rules \u2014 such as have been enacted in Florida and other states \u2014 that allow doctors to refuse to participate in interventions that violate their consciences (emphasis added):<\/p>\n

The code also requires physicians to actively oppose laws and ethics rules \u2014 such as have been enacted in Florida<\/a> and other states \u2014 that allow doctors to refuse to participate in interventions that violate their consciences (emphasis added):<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

39. The physician should follow, protect, and promote the ethical principles of this Code. The physician should help prevent national or international ethical, legal, organisational, or regulatory requirements that undermine any of the duties set forth in this Code.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The issue of medical conscience is now an international controversy. If the WMA Code becomes enforceable or is adopted into law, it will drive pro-life and many religious or traditional Hippocratic Oath\u2013believing medical practitioners out of their profession around the world. Indeed, I suspect that is the point.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at National Review<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(National Review) The World Medical Association has published a revised \u201cInternational Code of Medical Ethics\u201d that is intended as \u201ca canon of ethical principles for the members of the medical profession worldwide.\u201d Most of it is fine. For example, the code states that \u201cthe physician must provide care with the utmost respect for human life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":193536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[15,7077],"tags":[19,87,1955,18678,10920],"yoast_head":"\nThe World Medical Association subtly eviscerates conscience rights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Conscience rights protect doctors from being forced to participate in things like abortion - and they're slowly coming under attack.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/world-medical-eviscerates-conscience-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The World Medical Association subtly eviscerates conscience rights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Conscience rights protect doctors from being forced to participate in things like abortion - and they're slowly coming under attack.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/world-medical-eviscerates-conscience-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-30T14:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-28T19:57:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/doctors-abortionists-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Wesley J. 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