Earlier today I sent an e-mail to the Michigan Catholic Conference regarding the 'conscience' bill...
Thank you for your recent email in regards to conscience clause
legislation. Unfortunately, there have been resounding
mischaracterizations and blatant untruths told of these measures. Some
have falsely asserted that these bill will be used to discriminate against
certain groups of people. The healthcare conscience bills protect
individual healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, and healthcare
insurers from being forced to provide procedures that they find morally
objectionable.
This legislation can not be used to discriminate against providing
healthcare to a class of individuals - the objection must be to a service.
In fact, the language of the bill reads: "A healthcare provider may object
as a matter of conscience to providing or participating in a health care
service on ethical, moral, or religious grounds."
Further, exemption language states: "A health care provider shall not
assert an objection to providing or participating in a health care service
based on the classification of a patient or group of patients protected
under the Elliot-Larsen civil rights act, 1976 PA 453, MCL 37.2101 to
37.2804, or based on a disease or other medical condition."
We are all protected under the Equal Protection clause in the Constitution
and no legislation can change that. This legislation will not allow
discrimination against any classification of individuals. In fact, this
legislation is written to protect faith-based hospitals and providers from
being forced to provide services that contradict faith-based teaching.
Such examples would include sterilization, in-vitro fertilization and, down
the line, human cloning and embryonic stem cell research.
The Catholic Church is very clear with her position on homosexuality:
"Homosexuals must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.
Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2358).
Please refer to www.michiganlegislature.org to read House Bills 5006, and
5276-5278 in further detail. Thank you again for your correspondence.