Conscientious Objection

Conscientious Objection
By Dennis Yu (dennisjyu@gmail.com)

The RH Bill will require the Philippine Government to spend P13 billion for the distribution of contraceptives and other “reproductive health” services.

What will happen if a DOH employee refuses to participate in this “project”? Will he be fired from his work? Will his “conscientious objection” be respected? Can a DOH employee say “no” to this project based on his religious beliefs, or will he be forced to do it?

This is a serious problem. No one should be forced to do something against his conscience and personal beliefs. In Spain, an anti-Catholic country, yes, I’d like to repeat that: an anti-Catholic country, conscientious objection is still respected. There was an attempt last year to oblige the doctors to perform abortion even if it’s against their conscience. Fortunately, that law didn’t pass. Otherwise, that would be the height of totalitarianism. We would be going back to the time of Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Mao. This and similar anti-life laws were pushed for many years by its Prime Minister, Zapatero, who is a Mason. Fortunately, he lost the elections last year.

Anyway, now that the RH Bill is in the process of amendments, they should include a provision that will guarantee the religious liberty of those who will implement it, specifically, the DOH employees. An employee who is personally against the RH Bill has the right not to participate in the implementation of the RH Bill. This is a question of religious freedom. Of course an employee cannot just say “no” to any job that is given to him. That would justify laziness in its pure form. But if he says “no” to a job that violates his personal belief, he should be respected. He should not be discriminated. He should not be excluded, for example, in Christmas bonus, or job promotion just because he is an objector.

Here in Europe, where euthanasia is legal in some countries, there are many health employees who are forced to cooperate in it. Even if they don’t agree with “mercy-killing”, they are pressured by the hospital administration. They are discriminated. I can see here a unilateral ideological imposition that leaves those who are opposed to it helpless. I can see here an abuse of power, a tyranny.

I remember a case where a Catholic nun was killed in a hospital in the Netherlands. This involved a government employee in favor of euthanasia. On the part of the nun, her congregation, obviously, is against euthanasia. Her sister nuns take turns in accompanying her in the hospital. But there was a moment, just a short one, when the sick nun was left alone in the hospital. The government employee took advantage of this opportunity and administered the poison that killed the sick nun.

A case was filed against the hospital. Lo and behold: the hospital won! The judge said that the sick nun was not in her full mental capacity to reject euthanasia because she was under the strong religious influence of her congregation. Otherwise, she would have consented to euthanasia. Oh really? Absurd!

But is not the hospital under the strong influence of a crazy ideology (euthanasia)? This is where they are bringing the Philippines to in the near future. Save this article. Read it again after 10 years. The Philippine Congress by then will be debating about euthanasia.

Going back to the “conscientious objection”, I don’t want this to happen to the DOH employees. The RH Bill should guarantee this freedom. If the RH Bill is really about “giving choices” (a blatant lie for it does not give me, a taxpayer, any choice!), they should extend that choice to the employees. No one should be forced to act against his conscience. (12-VIII-2012)