Canadian Doctors’ Religious Freedom Under Threat

Wesley J. Smith’s article “The Coming of Medical Martyrdom” highlights a concern that is ever present in my own mind. As Smith notes, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan has a new draft ethics policy that would force physicians to facilitate procedures to which they object for moral or religious reasons (including abortion and—since a recent court decision—euthanasia) by referring patients to doctors willing to perform the procedures.

But it’s not just Saskatchewan. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario earlier published a similar document. And today is the final day that they are accepting comments from the public on the policy. I urge those with concerns to make their voices known. You can see the letter I sent here (I’ll be sending a similar letter to Saskatchewan’s College; you can contact them at communications@sps.sk.ca) Feel free to borrow any of the ideas I mention for your own letters.

My wife is a medical resident here in Canada, so we’ve been following these policy announcements with a fair amount of trepidation. I ask you to keep all medical professionals in Canada in prayer at this troubling time.