Dear members and supporters,
Bill 207, Conscience Rights (Health Care Providers) Protection Act passed its first vote on November 7th, 2019 and was debated yesterday by the Standing Committee of the Alberta Legislative Assembly.
A lack of public input was a major concern. The committee will debate again later this week, allowing a limited number of stakeholder presentations for each side and unlimited written submissions, to inform them of public opinion on the issue.
Without adequate public support for its existence, Bill 207 will be brought to an end on Friday November 22, 2019.
If you live in Alberta, please consider writing to the committee about the importance of conscience and moral integrity in medicine. If you are outside of Alberta, please consider reaching out to friends and colleagues in Alberta and ask them to write to the committee about this issue. The outcome affects everyone! Everyone is welcome to write to the Bill 207 Standing Committee. Activists opposed to the bill have been flooding the committee with letters and posting them on social media. At present almost 21,000 individuals opposing Bill 207 have signed their petition to the Alberta Legislative Assembly.
It is crucial that our voice is heard, to protect conscience rights!
Letters must be received by the standing committee and your MLA by Thursday, November 21, 2019 or the bill dies.
Please express your support in the following ways:
1) Please send emails to:
Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Public Bills
PBPMPB.Committee@assembly.ab.ca
2) Contact your MLA:
-By email: Please personalize it as much as possible.
-By phone or regular mail: Please let them know that it is important to you personally, that your MLA supports this Bill. We cannot be silent on this issue!
3) Email the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta CPSA and Alberta Medical Association AMA to encourage them to support the Bill:
Please address your emails to:
- the Alberta Medical Association president, Dr. Christine Molnar (president@albertadoctors.org) and
- the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta Registrar, Dr. Scott McLeod (info@cpsa.ab.ca)to ask them to support the Bill as a way to protect and maintain mutual freedoms of patients and physicians.
4) Physicians only:
Please complete the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) Tracker survey (emailed to AMA members by Nov 19) – The survey offers us an opportunity to voice our concerns and needs and emphasize the importance of conscience rights (in the comments section).
Sincerely,
Catherine Ferrier
President
NOV
2019
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