Church supports conscientious objection for medical professionals in Nuevo Leon

Monterrey, Mexico, Oct 30, 2019 / 16:19 pm

Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López of Monterrey said Sunday he supports the reform of the Healthcare Law in Mexico's Nuevo Leon state allowing conscientious objection for doctors and nurses.

Speaking to the press Oct. 27, Cabrera said that "conscientious objection is a universally established right; I think that sometimes the problem is how it is understood or put into practice."

"Doctors and nurses have the right to have their moral, spiritual, and personal convictions respected, but never in detriment to or contempt of anyone," he said.

The Nuevo Leon Congress passed a bill Oct. 15 that will allow doctors and nurses to have recourse to conscientious objection not to participate in procedures such as abortion.

The new text added to Article 18 of the Nuevo Leon Healthcare Law states that "doctor and nursing personnel that are part of the State Healthcare System, shall be able to exercise conscientious objection and excuse themselves from participating in providing services established by law. When the life of the patient is at risk or it is a medical emergency, conscientious objection cannot be invoked, if so, the professional will be held responsible".

This text reproduces the wording of the 2018 federal General Law on Healthcare.

However, various pro-choice groups have claimed the reform would be used to discriminate against persons with same-sex attraction.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language sister agency, Oct. 22, legislator Juan Carlos Leal, who introduced the reform bill, said the accusations against it are false and that "conscientious objection applies to the procedure, not the person. We're talking about the objector or doctor refusing to perform a procedure or a service but not because of the person, but the service itself."