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Ontario Plan: Professional Misconduct when Doctors Fail to Refer for Abortion

By John-Henry Westen

OTTAWA, August 15, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "Refusal on conscientious or religious grounds to refer a woman for an abortion could be deemed professional misconduct under this new policy," said Dr. Will Johnston, president of Canadian Physicians for Life.  Johnston was describing the likely outcome of a draft policy of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for which the public comment period officially ended today.

A similar requirement (that doctors must make abortion referrals regardless of their conscientious beliefs) was proposed in a July 2006 guest editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It triggered such a firestorm of controversy that the Journal was compelled to publish a letter from CMA's Director of Ethics, stating that CMA policy did not require physicians to refer for abortions if it would violate their conscientious or religious beliefs.

The new draft policy document, "Physicians and the Ontario Human Rights Code" says "a physician who refuses to provide a service or refuses to accept a patient on the basis of a prohibited ground such as sex or sexual orientation may be acting contrary to the (Human Rights) Code, even if the refusal is based on the physician's moral or religious belief." 

The document gives the specific example of a physician violating the Code by refusing to provide artificial procreation to a homosexual.  "For example, a physician who is opposed to same sex procreation for religious reasons and therefore refuses to refer a homosexual couple for fertility treatment may be in breach of the Code," it says.

Protection of Conscience Project, a group devoted to freedom of conscience, is joining forces with Physicians for Life in demanding an extension of the comment period for the draft policy.  Both organizations, which are prominently involved in such matters, were not informed of the proposed policy by the College, and only learned of the document yesterday.

Dr. Johnston concluded, "There could be serious problems with what the Ontario College is proposing and we need time to study the implications of this policy in detail. If doctors feel coerced into compromising their deepest convictions as a result of this policy, certainly that's a problem-not only for the integrity of physicians, but also for the welfare of their patients."

To express concerns to the College contact: or Andréa Foti
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
80 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2E2
Tel: 416.967.2600 ext. 387
Fax: 416.967.2644
Email:

See a copy of the draft policy here:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/HumanRightsDRAFT_081.pdf

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