Fourteen associations representing various medical specialities have called for the inclusion of a conscientious objection clause in a new law on equality, currently before parliament.
In a joint statement, the associations said they endorse a draft amendment to the bill, as proposed by the Medical Council.
"Doctors should not be faced with clinical situations where they are forced to act against their ethical convictions or be deemed liable if they exert their freedom of conscience," the associations said.
"Medical practice requires a holistic understanding of the medical sciences, but also a sound knowledge of how to apply these in everyday life. As with all sciences, medical practice involves a degree of ethical judgement, such as making end-of-life decisions, deciding on the urgency of treatment provision or the optimal utilisation of limited resources for patient care. These circumstances require sound clinical and ethical judgement, based on the values of the medical profession, which include the value of life, justice, respect for others and equality," they added.
The associations insisted that in ethically-contentious scenarios, doctors should be allowed to refuse to prescribe treatment or perform procedures that violate their ethical convictions, even if such interventions are deemed legal by the state.
Furthermore, the health department should be obliged to ensure widespread availability of information pertaining to all legal health services including a list of healthcare workers or institutions providing such services as well as their contact information.
The associations said a set of guidelines should be issued to ensure that conscientious objection is restricted to specific circumstances and applied judiciously, thereby safeguarding patients and allowing for the continued provision of optimal medical care.
The associations explained that support by the medical profession for this proposed clause is also motivated by the implications of the supremacy clauses included in the Bill. These will allow the new law to override criminal and civil laws if a matter of legal contention arises.
"In practice, if conscientious objection is introduced in future laws, a healthcare worker could still be liable, since the Equality Bill would take legal precedence."
They said that government reluctance so far to introduce a conscientious objection clause created the risk of introducing discrimination in a bill that specifically seeks to eradicate it in the first place.
The associations backing the call are: the Association of Anaesthesiologists of Malta, Association of Emergency Physicians of Malta, Association of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeons of Malta, Association of Physicians of Malta, Association of Private Family Doctors, Association of Surgeons of Malta, Geriatric Medicine Society of Malta, Malta Association of Ophthalmologists, Malta Association of Otorhinolaryngologists and Head and Neck Surgeons, Malta College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Malta College of Pathologists, Maltese Association of Dermatology and Venereology, Maltese Association of Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine Physicians and the Maltese Paediatric Association.