As we progress along any journey, we are faced with countless distractions, our own laziness or lukewarmness, and temptations that can lead us astray.

Elsewhere in this issue of The Catholic Register, former Ontario MPP John Milloy makes an eloquent case for why and how Catholics should sustain involvement in political life.

The one thing all should hold dear is their freedom of conscience. It may be our most effective tool in combatting oppression and ensuring religious freedom. It’s there for everyone to use but to employ it sometimes takes courage. But when put to work it can feel liberating.

MANCHESTER, England – The British Catholic Church has predicted that pharmacists could be forced to dispense lethal drugs under plans to prohibit conscientious objection on the grounds of religion.

It is possible I am simply dense and if so, allow me to apologize from the very beginning.

OTTAWA – Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders have joined together to appeal for the protection of conscience rights for health professionals and institutions in Canada’s new assisted-death bill.

MONTREAL – When Quebec’s doctors were blindsided by their professional association and its support for assisted suicide, Dr. Catherine Ferrier knew she had to spring into action.
“We didn’t see it coming. We knew it was out there but it was on the margins. Three-quarters of the population was against medically assisted suicide. The legislation kept dying” every time a politician would introduce a motion in favour of assisted suicide, said Ferrier, who has been one of the leaders in the fight against medical aid in dying for the past seven years.

While America entertains itself with the likes of Donald Trump and the presidential primaries, Canada is inching towards what’s bound to be a monumental decision with repercussions on both sides of the border. Euthanasia. State-sponsored suicide. And by inching I mean we’re barrelling towards it at breakneck speed.

OTTAWA - The upcoming federal law regarding physician-assisted death must respect the conscience rights of doctors and other health-care workers, Cardinal Thomas Collins told a Parliamentary committee.

LOS ANGELES - After the California Senate voted to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the state, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez called it the wrong response to a "public health crisis."

OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau has joined Parliament in overwhelmingly passing a motion in Parliament in support of holding free votes on conscience matters.

OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau is acting contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by denying Liberal party members a free vote on matters of conscience, charged a Conservative MP during a Parliament debate.

OTTAWA - With legalized euthanasia looming large over the House of Commons, a Tory backbencher has tabled a motion to affirm the right of free votes on matters of conscience.