Conscientious refusal by health care professionals to provide services, including abortions, has been a subject of intense debate for some time, and the recent discovery that the Canadian Medical Association lacks a coherent policy on the issue has left the nation abuzz.
Acknowledging the need for conversation on the deep-rooted subject of conscientious refusal, The University of Western Ontario, in association with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is offering a unique opportunity for an informal discussion on the topic.
Through CIHR’s Café Scientifique initiative, Western will host “The Spark of Conscience Inflames Debate: Conflicts of Conscience in Medicine” at Covent Garden Market in London, Ont. on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
Carolyn McLeod, a professor in Western’s Department of Philosophy, will act as moderator of the event, which will feature professional input, along with opinions from the general public.
McLeod, an expert on the subject of health care ethics, will be accompanied by nationally recognized educators who will encourage discussion on what a policy on conscientious refusal should entail and the degree of protection such a policy should offer.
Providing professional input alongside McLeod is professor Jocelyn Downie and PhD student and medical resident Robyn MacQuarrie, both of Dalhousie University, and Reverend Michael Prieur of St. Peter’s Seminary. These professionals will offer expert information from the related fields of law, medicine and bioethics, as well as moral and sacramental theology.
The event, which aims to provoke questions and provide answers, is open to the general public.
For more information, visit the CIHR Café Scientifique Facebook page.