Medicine and Health is one of three broad areas of education and activism that Centre for Inquiry Calgary focuses on. The issue regarding Dr. Chantal Barry of Westglen Medical Centre, and her refusal to prescribe contraceptives based on religious beliefs is of great concern to us and Calgarians. Public polls on this issue through the Calgary Herald, Global News Calgary, and CTV Calgary all show a resounding negative public reaction against this Doctor’s actions.
At Centre for Inquiry Calgary, we strongly disapprove when medical treatment is influenced by personal beliefs, whether they are cultural, religious, moral, bigoted, or racist. All Albertans have the right to receive equal and appropriate care from all Physicians. Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and freedoms, a person cannot be discriminated against based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
A Physician who refuses medical treatment based on a personal or religious belief is using that as an excuse to force their beliefs onto others and to discriminate. Specifically, when a Physician refuses to prescribe contraceptives because of religious beliefs, they are discriminating against that person, because they have differing religious beliefs.
Under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta’s policy on Moral or Religious Beliefs Affecting Medical Care, doctors can refuse to provide medical services, but must ensure the patient is offered timely access to those services from another practitioner. In the case of Dr. Chantal Barry of Westglen Medical Centre, timely access is not given. If a Physician refuses to give medical treatment to a patient, we feel that “timely access” should mean “seamless access”.
When Dr. Barry is working alone at the clinic, there is no seamless access for the patients that she has denied medical services to. At a minimum, Dr. Barry should not be permitted to be the sole Doctor on duty at a medical practice to ensure that patients can receive all the necessary medical care entitled to all Canadians.
Excellent statement. The idea that a patient could be denied the pill at this clinic, and so simply go to another clinic is absurd. We have extreme weather sometimes in Canada. Imagine having to travel by bus to a clinic and then to another clinic when it’s minus 35 and there’s 40 cm of snow on the ground. Who knows when the bus might arrive.
Also, the patient may have booked off work to go to the clinic that day, or had to pay for a babysitter. Now she has to leave the clinic knowing she has to start the whole process over again! This is a very nasty way to treat a person!
Section 2 – Fundamental Freedoms
Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
freedom of conscience and religion;
freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
freedom of peaceful assembly; and
freedom of association.
‘Everyone’, including Dr. Barry has these rights, particularly regarding this: ‘freedom of conscience’.
Fascism forces people to do what is contrary to their own.
correction:
Fascism forces people to do what is contrary to their own conscience. – See more at: http://centreforinquiry.ca/cfi-calgary-statement-re-calgary-doctor-refuses-to-prescribe-birth-control/#comment-9431