The Iona Institute has condemned the treatment of a Catholic doctor by the Fitness to Practice Committee of the Irish Medical Council.

 As reported in the current issue of The Irish Catholic, Dr Phil Boyle appeared before the Fitness to Practice Committee last week on a charge of ‘professional misconduct’.

 Dr Boyle runs a fertility treatment service in Galway Clinic in accordance with Catholic teaching and his ‘offence’ was not to offer his service to an unmarried couple who contacted his office.

 Dr Boyle was acquitted on a technicality but his right to practice his profession in accordance with his conscience has not been recognised, and is not recognised by the Ethical Guidelines of the Medical Council.

 Commenting on the case, Dr John Murray of The Iona Institute said: “We deplore the treatment of Dr Boyle by the Medical Council. He should never have been called before its Fitness to Practice Committee. The fact that it heard a professional misconduct charge against him is simply grotesque.”

 “Dr Boyle practices his profession in accordance with his Catholic convictions and therefore he only offers his fertility treatment service to married couples. The Medical Council must recognise his right to follow his conscience in this regard.

 “By accepting this case, the Council is saying, in effect, that physicians with certain long accepted, and respected, religious beliefs – in this case belief in marriage – are no longer fully welcome in the Irish medical profession. This represents a direct attack on freedom of religion and conscience.”

 He continued: “We believe there should be an immediate change to the ethical guidelines of the Medical Council to properly protect the right of conscientious objection which is one of the most fundamental freedoms of any civilised society.