Columbian Supreme Court Decision Denies Right of Conscience

Dear AAPLOG Colleague: Houskeeping item: last weeks aaplog letter to you re: the passed House health care bill contained inaccurate references. We think this was because the references were o an earlier version of the Bill from July, rather than the final product. So we pulled he letter from our website until we get that figured out. WORLD magazine (worldmag.com) published an article by aaplog board member Matt Anderson in the November 7th issue. It’s titled “Extreme Indifference” and concerns the dangers of protocols and “best practices” and how they can result in denial of care. This is what can happen to doctors’ decisions when bureaucrats define and enforce healthcare standards. We commend the article to you. We are headed there. INTERNATIONAL PROABORTION PRESSURE ON COUNTRYS WHERE INDUCED ABORTION IS ILLEGAL: In Columbia, abortion was illegal until 2006, whe its Supreme Court ruled that abortion must be permitted when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life or health, in cases of rape, incest and in cases where the fetus has malformations incompatible with life outside the womb. This October, the court reinforced that decision by ruling that under those circumstances in which abortion is legal, women “enjoy a right to decide, free from any pressure, coercion, urging, manipulation and, in general, any sort of nadmissible intervention, to terminate a pregnancy … it is forbidden to raise any obstacles, requirements or additional barriers.” HERE IS THE MOST AWFUL SECTION (AND OUR USA POLICIES ARE HEADED THIS WAY!!): The Constitutional Court’s decision reiterates and clarifies the rules RELATING TO OBJECTIONS to providing abortions. The court found that neither institutions nor judicial authorities can refuse a woman an abortion based on conscience claims. Only individual medical professionals may object to providing those services and when they do, they must submit a written statement explaining their reasoning, and they must refer a woman to another physician who is available and willing to perform the abortion. Those who fail to follow the court’s order will be subject to sanctions. IN COLUMBIA TODAY, THE DOCTORS’ CONSCIENCE RIGHTS ARE GONE: THEY MUST REFER FOR ABORTION or be subject to sanctions! And we are going in that e must not allow that to happen here! Join the fight to retain our rights! See: freedom2care.org Jdc/aaplog