Pros Of Conscientious Objectives

6 – Conscientious objection
When physicians or nurse practitioners have a conscientious objection in providing medical assistance in dying, they must follow the general directions stated in the College’s expectations for conscientious objections, found in the Professional Obligations and Human Rights policy.
These are the expectations:
6.1 – The patient’s dignity must always be respected, even when the physician decides not to provide medical assistance in dying for motives of religion or conscience. The patient’s access to medical assistance in dying must not be hindered by the physician due to religious beliefs or conscience issues.
6.2 – The physician’s objection must be informed directly to the patient, mentioning that the reason of this decline is personal and not clinical, without any expression of moral judgement about the patient’s decision.
The existence of any treatment or procedure must be revealed, even if it differs from the physician’s beliefs or thoughts.
6.4 – Even if the physician decides to decline providing medical assistance in dying to the patient for reasons of conscience or religious beliefs, the patient must not be abandoned, but referred to another professional, and in an appropriate time to avoid adverse clinical outcomes due to a late referral.
It is important to emphasize that a physician is not obliged by legislation to provide medical assistance in dying to a patient. And an “effective referral” is not considered as providing the patient with medical assistance in