Catholic hospitals will not offer referrals for abortion as required under the abortion law reform bill before Victoria's Upper House, Catholic Health Australia chief Martin Laverty said yesterday as commentators described the vote as "too close to call". Leaders of Catholic operated Victorian hospitals met yesterday to discuss the impact of the bill, Mr Laverty wrote in the Herald-Sun.
The Catholic Church operates 15 not-for-profit hospitals in this state and handles about a third of all births, Mr Laverty says.
"In yesterday's meeting, we have affirmed our long-standing position that Catholic hospitals do not and will not offer abortions," Mr Laverty says.
But the bill currently before Parliament "will have the effect of requiring staff in Catholic hospitals to make referrals to other medical professionals who do not object to provision of abortion", Mr Laverty says."This is the change that we object to. Catholic hospitals and our staff should not be required to make referrals for abortions. Staff in hospitals everywhere, Catholic or non-Catholic, should be able to exercise their consciences.
"The legislation as drafted will require staff working in our hospitals to act contrary to our Catholic mission and values.
"This Bill should not become law and the Legislative Council should reject it," he said.
Moreover, "forcing doctors, nurses and others who have a conscientious objection to abortion to act contrary to conscience may contradict the Government's own charter", Mr Laverty said."Catholic Health Australia has been asked if we will instruct doctors and nurses to act contrary to the law.
"It is our sincere hope that it will not come to that. We hope this Bill will not pass the Upper House," Mr Laverty concluded.
Meanwhile, The Age reports that the controversial legislation is at risk of being defeated in the upper house after the Catholic Church threatened to close some hospital wards if the bill is passed.Upper house members on Tuesday revealed the vote looks "too close to call" and the church's threat may change some MPs' minds.
Archbishop Denis Hart has threatened to withdraw the maternity and emergency departments from Catholic hospitals if the bill is passed through the Legislative Council next month.
Democratic Labor Party MP Peter Kavanagh, who opposes the bill, said he admired the Archbishop's stance.
"I think it's more than legitimate, I think it's necessary. I would rather resign from a job than become an accomplice to this," Mr Kavanagh told AAP.
Liberal upper house MP Bernie Finn who is also opposed to the legislation, said "he wouldn't put money either way" on whether the bill would now pass.
"I think it's very very close. To be very conservative, I think it's 17-17 and I think there are six in the middle somewhere.
Asked if he believed the issue would cause some upper house members who were undecided to vote against the bill, Mr Finn said he "hopes so".
"There are a number of clauses that are appalling, and this one is particularly obnoxious," he said.
He said it forced medical practitioners to become an accomplice to an abortion.
The government should take the threat to remove health services "very seriously", he said.
"This is no idle threat," Mr Finn said.
The Australian Medical Association also opposes the referral requirement in the bill.
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(Source: CN)