Australia: Catholic University stands for its own morals
Teachers at the medical school of Notre Dame University have to commit to teach under a code of standards that bans contraception, describes abortion as “the deliberate killing of an innocent human life” and reserves the right to refuse IVF to gay couples.
The school, which is based in Sydney and Fremantle and receives federal funding, lists as an “essential selection criteria” for teachers a “commitment to teaching in the context of the Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia’’.
This code advises contraception is not permissible, healthcare facilities should resist pressure to offer prenatal testing, as it is futile because abortion is not banned even in the case of abnormalities, and gay and unmarried couples should not have access to IVF.
On the topic of abortion and contraception, it states that “such procedures, treatments and medications are morally wrong because they involve the direct and deliberate killing of an innocent human life in the earliest stages of development’’. “The use of procedures or drugs deliberately to deprive the marital act of its procreative potential, whether temporarily or permanently, is not permissible,” it states.
The code of ethics also states that abortion is not permissible even when prenatal tests discover “abnormalities”.
“Responsible counselling and pastoral support are to be made available to parents and family, especially when foetal abnormalities are diagnosed. Counselling must not create a link to abortion,’’ it says.
The code also has a section on which fertility treatments are permitted for couples, and says IVF is not allowed because it acts as a substitute for the “marital act”.
“For this reason Catholic healthcare facilities should not provide or refer for technological interventions such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or artificial insemination by donor (AID),” it states.
Furthermore, the standards advise that Catholic facilities are within their rights to not offer some services, including fertility treatments, to gay couples.
School dean Christine Bennett said the code was a “context” for teachers in relation to the “object” of the university, but did not dictate the curriculum, which taught contraception, abortion and sterilisation.
“Notre Dame University’s School of Medicine delivers a comprehensive evidenced-based medical curriculum approved by the Australian Medical Council,” she said.
“The medicine students gain a comprehensive medical education covering all aspects of contemporary medicine.”
Professor Bennett said the university’s bio-ethics curriculum further explored ethical conundrums around abortion and reproductive technologies.
“The code is provided so that teachers understand the ethical standards applied in Catholic healthcare today, hospitals and aged care,” she said.
