The Government Cannot Dictate Your Conscience, by Michael S. Parker

COMMENTARY: Government restrictions on conscience protection should be opposed by all in a free society.

By Michael S. Parker, EWTN News, February 25, 2021

Michael S. Parker, MD, is the president of the Catholic Medical Association. 

This article is the first in a series.

“What do you think is best for me, Doctor?”

This question has been asked numerous times by too many patients to count. Inescapably, the doctor’s conscience will inform how he or she answers this question.

The new administration intends to overturn religious conscience protections by mandating contraceptive coverage and abortion services. These policies intend to certify elective procedures, such as abortion and contraception, as essential women’s health care and a human right. These changes target religious organizations, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs counter to the current administration’s reproductive rights agenda. According to the administration, those who are perceived as imposing religious or moral beliefs on patients, potentially damaging a patient’s health, or basing their worldviews on grounds other than so-called scientific information should no longer have the right to exercise their freedom of conscience.

Government restrictions on conscience protection should be opposed by all in a free society. These new regulations violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment. But why are conscience protections so important to all? What exactly do we mean by the word “conscience”?  …

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