St. Louis, Mo., Sep 25, 2022 / 09:00 am
A Catholic doctor’s right to conscientiously object to medical procedures that conflict with his or her faith was a topic of discussion at a recent conference for Catholic physicians meeting in Rome.
The 26th World Congress of Catholic Physicians was put on Sept. 15–17 by the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, which represents 120,000 members in 80 Catholic medical associations across the continents and is the only organization of physicians recognized by the Vatican. The organization’s world congresses are held every four years in different areas of the world.
Vincent Kemme, founder of the Belgian bioethics organization Biofides, which co-organized the Congress, told EWTN News that his organization has observed a shift in recent years, especially in the low countries of Europe, away from conscience protections for the medical profession. Countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of offering euthanasia and assisted suicide, and doctors who personally object to the practice must still refer patients.
“In Europe and the United States, the introduction of relativism and moral subjectivism has completely changed the profession of the doctor,” Kemme told EWTN News.