In the last few years Catholics in the United States have become well versed in the very real threats against religious liberty. While much of the attention has rightly been focused on the national scene regarding the protection of conscience, there are also efforts on the state level to curtail religious freedom and the protection of conscience which we must be equally concerned about.
Right now in Illinois we see an extremely dangerous attack on conscience that many people do not even realize is happening, or if they do, fail to see why it is such a serious threat. As is often the case with evil, it can seem innocuous at first, even benign. Only later do its true colors show — sometimes only after the harm is done.
St. Paul tells us in 2 Cor 11:14 that “even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.” It should not surprise us that the culture of death operates similarly.
Illinois laws have long protected the consciences of health care workers, ensuring they would not be forced to participate in or facilitate those things which they find morally wrong. A doctor, for example, would be free to refuse to participate in abortion. Furthermore, even if he or she was asked for help in procuring one, they would be free to refuse. The same would go for others in health care for a whole range of medical procedures which are seen as morally objectionable.
All of this is being threatened due to Senate Bill 1564. This bill seeks to “amend” the Health Care Right of Conscience Act in Illinois. The proposed changes would effectively do away with a health care worker’s right to refuse to be associated with morally objectionable procedures.
Currently, someone need only communicate that a given procedure or service is not available or cannot be provided. Now that would change. Someone may still refuse to provide a given service, but only if two conditions are met.
First, that “the patient receives material information in a timely fashion.”
Second, that “the refusal will not impair the patient’s health by causing delay of or inability to access the refused health care service.”
In other words, a person can only invoke his or her God-given right to conscience if he or she ensures that the morally objectionable service is accessed nevertheless.
Instead of simply communicating that “I can’t help you if you want an abortion,” now a doctor would be required to say something along the lines of “I can’t perform your abortion but here is all of the information you need to get one.” That doctor now becomes an accessary to murder.
An analogous example may clarify the difficulty of the situation. Imagine if instead we were dealing with illicit drug use. Someone opposed to illicit drugs would be forced by law to give someone seeking those drugs the contact information for the local drug dealer.
Or imagine that someone opposed to robbing banks would be forced to help a thief plan the bank robbery regardless of their opposition.
No wonder the Illinois Catholic Health Association and the Catholic Conference of Illinois are working so diligently to oppose this mutilation of conscience protection.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, summarizing Church teaching, makes it abundantly clear that such participation or cooperation in the evil of another is not acceptable (CCC 1868). I cannot be an accomplice and avoid guilt.
No one should be forced by law to help bring about the very moral evil one opposes.
God has given us a conscience so that, after it has been formed well, following it will keep us unencumbered in our pursuit of Him and help us reach our own ultimate happiness. Laws like this do not protect conscience but rather seek to destroy its influence in individuals, at least when it is opposed to participation in the spread of the culture of death.