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Dear Amy,
My first instinct is that your material
cooperation in this evil is so remote,
and after the fact,
as to not be morally evil. I gather
you work for a contract transcriptionist
service
— If you work directly for
doctors who specialize in immoral
services such as these, I would say
something different, depending on
some circumstances:
- What kind of practice is it;
for instance, if it is an IVF
practice, that would not be good
- What sort of use is made of your
work
- What your personal circumstances
are (i.e. would it be very difficult
to get another job.)
I am presently working on a certification
in health care ethics from the National
Catholic Bioethics Commission, and
forwarded your question to the group
for comment.
A few days later I received the following reply from one of their ethicists.
Marie T. Hilliard, JCL, PhD, RN,
Director of Bioethics and Public
Policy, National
Catholic Bioethics Center, offers
this:
In responding to questions concerning
cooperation in evil for medical
transcriptionists who are recording
information on procedures which
already are completed, the key
is whether the transcriptionist
is working for a contracted agency.
If one were working directly for
an OB/GYN or a Urologist who routinely
engage in these procedures (but
not a practice that regularly
and routinely performed abortions,
which would require another analysis
due to formal intent questions), the question is, even if
it is after the fact, whether
the transcriptionist is making
possible the morally illicit action (mediate material Cooperation),
because of the need for ongoing
accurate records in the practice.
Even then, such cooperation could
be remote and justifiable
[if it can be] ascertained that there is a [good to be achieved or evil
to be avoided]).
God bless,
Mary Ann |
I hope this helps,
Mary Ann
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