A Victory for Conscience and a Culture of Life

21 November 2011

Media Release

A Victory for Conscience and a Culture of Life

Right to Life welcomes the decision of the New Zealand Medical Council not to proceed with its appeal to the Court of Appeal of the judgment of Justice MacKenzie given in the High Court in Wellington in December 2010. The judgment stated that a medical practioner who was opposed in conscience to abortions was not obliged to refer a woman seeking an abortion to another doctor who would facilitate the abortion.

The Medical Council in withdrawing its appeal is acting in the best interest of the medical profession, the community and indeed women and unborn children. The decision will hopefully result in deterring some women from seeking an abortion and thus saving the life of their unborn child.

Freedom of conscience is important for the practice of medicine. It was the imposition of the state in Nazi Germany that gave us the crimes against humanity perpetrated by doctors whose conscience was subject to the dictates of the Nazi regime. We must remain ever vigilant to protect the conscience of the medical profession. It is our conscience that guides us to do good and to avoid evil. In 1948 the General Assembly of the World Medical Association in Geneva passed a Declaration on the responsibilities of medical practitioners.

It included, “The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration.” It also stated, “I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of its conception, even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.” The Geneva Declaration was made in response to the crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by Nazi Germany.

The pro–abortion movement supported the assault on the conscience of medical practitioners on the pretext that abortion was an essential health service. Abortion is not a health service, it is the killing of a defenceless and innocent unborn child and a crime against humanity.

The community should be aware that there is an organised international assault on the conscience of medical practitioners to compel doctors to assist and perform abortions. Sustained pressure is also being imposed on hospitals to provide abortions. This is a culture of death that is being strenuously resisted.

Parliament in passing the Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act in 1977 provided protection for the conscience of doctors and others under section 46, To perform or assist in the performance of an abortion or any operation undertaken or to be undertaken for the purpose of rendering the patient sterile:..if he objects to doing so on the grounds of conscience.

Right to Life requests that the Medical Council promotes a culture of life and opposes a culture of death by amending the draft document to uphold the primacy of conscience and protect women’s health and the lives of their unborn children.

ENDS