Adria

 

Didactical path

 

Second year

 

Freedom of conscience

 

RELIGION

 

Conscience objection and health workers

 

 

The encyclical Evangelium Vitae by John Paul II deals with the ethical Catholic doctrine regarding the attacks against human life.

Unjust or unfair laws, such as the ones on abortion or euthanasia, “raise a serious and right need to oppose them by means of conscience objection”, since “You cannot be involved in wicked actions”.

“The refusal to take part in an unfair or wrong action is a moral duty and a human right as well: such a right should be protected by the civil law. That is why doctors and health workers in general should be given the chance to avoid any involvement in actions against people’s right to life”.

The same principles as expressed in Evangelium Vitae can be referred to all the actions against the right to life, both directly and indirectly: genetical experimentation and manipulation, the destruction of human embryos, ways of assisted reproduction which do not respect human life, prenatal diagnosis connected to possible abortions, etc.

Abortive medicines or drugs such as RU 486, Norlevo and other contraceptives as the IUD, which might have an abortive effect, have to be carefully taken into consideration as for their moral implications: any scientific research aiming at the production of abortive drugs,  the making, the financing and the trading of such drugs are considered morally unlawful and therefore forbidden. The researchers who are involved in similar activities have to be guaranteed unconditioned right to conscience objection.

 

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