Call to Action

Dear Members of the Toronto Catholic Doctors’ Guild,

This is an urgent appeal! Ontario has introduced legislation (Bill 84) on medical assistance in dying. We need to fight NOW to have conscience protections for health care workers included in the bill. We need legislative protection of conscientious objection to defend ourselves against the College’s requirement for referral.
Please do as many as possible of the following BEFORE March 1st 2017:

1. Pray for this intention.

2. Meet with your MPP — this is not difficult to arrange but will take time to schedule. Telephone calls to MPPs are also helpful
3. Speak at your church for 2-3 minutes after services and urge people to write their MPPs to demand conscience protections for health care workers, particularly through the Healthcare Coalition website  http://www.canadiansforconscience.ca.

Find your MPP at  http://www.ontla.on.ca/lao/en/membersYou may also search your district at  https://www3.elections.on.ca/internetapp/fyed.aspx

Email your MPP through  http://www.canadiansforconscience.ca . 

Sample letters are also available at this site. Your letter need be only a few lines, stating the need for conscience protections for health care workers.
What to Say to Your MPP:

Please impress upon him or her the importance of protection of conscience. These discussions may include:

• explanation of why referral for MAID is unacceptable
• the repercussions of requirement for referral on your practice
• the impact of students and physicians’ choices of specialty or decisions to leave the province or retire early
• emphasis on how conscience protection has never been shown to impact on patient care (and note that NO other country providing PAS/euthanasia has required physician referral foregoing conscience protection).

Speaking at Churches: This appeal for conscience protection is endorsed by the Archdiocese of Toronto. Materials will be available for you to use including a short speaking script, a video, and a handout for parishoners.If you are able to help, please respond to <sjpotter@cmdscanada.org> with your name and address so we can keep track of which MPPs will be contacted personally by our members. Please also indicate if you are willing to approach your parish – we can also help you to do this.

It is VITAL that as may people as possible contact their MPPs. Personal contacts are best. Please also urge your contacts to do the same.

No doubt, the Holy Spirit will bless these efforts.