Slovakia Drops Effort To Abolish Allowing Health Workers To Object To Performing Abortions

Abortions

Slovakia's Ministry of Healthhas decided against abolishing a "conscience clause" that allowsphysicians and health care workers to object to performing abortionsand other procedures that conflict with their religious beliefs,ministry spokesperson Eva Slovakova said Tuesday, the Agence France-Pressereports. "As far as the objections of conscience, the Ministry ofHealth will propose to leave the initial version of the law unchanged,"Slovakova said in an e-mail. The health ministry previously said it isconsidering removing the conscience clause, which also applies tofertility treatments and sterilizations.

Slovakia's RomanCatholic officials "welcomed" the announcement but urged further legalaction to strengthen the clause, according to the Agence France-Presse."We would recall the need to adopt a treaty (with the Vatican) onconscientious objection since we see that in reality this issue dependson the wishes of one minister," Jan Kovacik, spokesperson for theSlovak Bishops' Conference, said (Agence France-Presse, 9/18).

PopeBenedict XVI last week urged Slovakia to ratify a treaty that includesan expanded conscience clause that would allow citizens to "refuse toact in [a] way that his or her conscience thinks is contrary" toCatholic tenets. Critics say the clause would allow doctors to objectto performing abortions, teachers to refuse to teach the theory ofevolution and employees to refuse to work on Sunday (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/17).

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