Health-care professionals urged to pray for conscience rights

VANCOUVER—A physician who is taking the Ontario government to court over euthanasia and conscience rights is inviting all health-care professionals worried about the issue to join him in praying about it.

Vancouver-based Dr. Jim Lane is the president of the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians’ Societies, an organization that joined the Christian Medical and Dental Society and Physicians for Life in court in June, arguing doctors should not be forced to refer patients to procedures they disagree with.

Lane is also the organizer for Vancouver's White Mass, an annual evening of prayer and networking for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others.

We all should be praying for a proper outcome in our court cases and a proper outcome in our political areas, where we are dealing with Canadian and provincial governments.

“We all should be praying for a proper outcome in our court cases and a proper outcome in our political areas, where we are dealing with Canadian and provincial governments,” said Lane.

He anticipates the results of that recent court hearing in the next few months. If the government chooses to appeal, he said the federation will keep pushing for doctors’ conscience rights, to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Meanwhile Lane said it’s a good idea for health-care professionals to write to their governments, speak out, and gather to pray at the White Mass.

The annual event is also a chance to “honour some of the citizens in our city that have done much to promote the health-care message of the Catholic Church in providing health care.”

Among them, two stand out this year: a palliative care doctor and a recently retired executive director of the Catholic Health Association of B.C. Dr. Romayne Gallagher and Susan House will receive awards from the Catholic Physicians’ Guild of B.C. at a reception after Mass.

“Those two individuals have both been front and centre in trying to provide the best kind of care,” Lane said. Gallagher is a bold palliative-care expert and advocate, and House has been working in the areas of seniors care and end-of-life care for many years.

“It certainly comes down to one of the major issues we’re still concerned about,” which is “euthanasia and what that means for health-care providers and conscience protection.”

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, of Vancouver will celebrate the White Mass at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at St. Augustine's Church. “We welcome all people in the health-care field, and their families, to come out and join us,” said Lane.