Take Action on Conscience Rights

Call to Action

• Breaking news: Court upholds forced referrals policy in Ontario (May 2019). See below for details.
• Hear from doctors explaining why this issue is so critical.
• Find your province and a sample letter you can use to write to your provincial health minister
• The campaign website is www.canadiansforconscience.ca.

The EFC is partnering with the Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience in its Call for Conscience campaign, including special time-limited campaigns in various provinces.

These campaigns encourage residents to contact their provincial politicians to ask for strong conscience protection in current legislation.

More information

• Most provinces outside of Ontario (and most jurisdictions worldwide that allow assisted death) are finding ways to protect the conscience of healthcare workers when there are requests for assisted death.
• But Ontario has adopted a policy that doctors must provide effective referrals even for procedures that violate their deeply held beliefs. This means they must refer a patient seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide to a physician or nurse practitioner who is willing to help end the patient’s life.
• Breaking news: On May 15, 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed a court challenge of this policy by several doctors’ groups, including EFC-affiliate the Christian Medical and Dental Society, heard in January 2019. The EFC and its partners the Ontario Assembly of Catholic Bishops and the Christian Legal Fellowship were intervenors. EFC news release (May 15, 2019), Faith Today audio interview with Larry Worthen (May 23, 2019)
• All Canadians can urge their MPP and Provincial Minister of Health to protect conscience rights. The EFC encourages Canadians to call or write your MPP today using the links at the top of this page. You can also help raise awareness in your church or plan a meeting with your provincial government representative using materials from that website.
• Canadians can also contact their federal MP regarding Bill C-418, proposed legislation which would make it a criminal offence to compel a health care professional to participate in medical assistance in dying. It would also make it an offence to fire or refuse to hire a health care worker because of their conscientious objection. There are sample letters you can use at our Bill C-418 page.
• Several provinces are considering whether to start requiring faith-based medical institutions and long-term care homes to allow euthanasia or assisted suicide on their premises. The EFC wrote to the Alberta minister of health in January 2019 on this issue.

Latest Updates

• Visit www.TheEFC.ca/Euthanasia and click "What's Happening" to get the latest news on related court cases, letters to government and more.