So, you’re a doctor. You go into the profession to heal and alleviate suffering.
You believe in the sanctity of human life, either due to religion or philosophy. You accept the maxims of the Hippocratic Oath. Your beliefs are in accord with the ethics of your profession.
Suddenly, the Supreme Court of your country rules that doctors killing sick patients is a Charter right–even for psychological pain. Now, your beliefs are considered a denial of a patient’s right to be killed.
Fine. Let other doctors do it, you say. Not you. You believe it is a grievous sin and/or profoundly immoral to be complicit in homicide. That’s not why you became a doctor. Tough!
Canada’s medical establishment wants to force you to kill. And, the media is beginning to join the chorus. From an editorial in the Leader-Post:
As a federal expert panel reviews the issues, polls show doctors are divided, with some “conscientious objectors” demanding the right to play no part whatsoever in helping patients end their lives. That’s unreasonable, in our view.
We respect the personal right of physicians to hold moral or religious views against assisted suicide. But it seems to us doctors also have a professional obligation to help patients access a legal service once legislation permitting it is passed.
This is the new view of religious non-liberty increasingly expressed as society grows more secular.
You can believe whatever you want. You just can’t live your beliefs when they conflict with majority/ruling ethical paradigms.
In other words, it is the end of freedom. A nation that can force you to kill–or abandon your profession–can force anyone to do just about anything.
This is also euthanasia for the medical professionalism. Any doctor, nurse, pharmacist–or students to so become–are going to be blackballed out of their profession unless they are willing to become lethal technocratic order takers.
Medical martyrdom is coming, in which willingness to kill will become a condition of practicing the medical arts.