Court Rules Commission Lacked Compliance with Obligations Stipulated Under Article 85 (1) of the Treaty
In a bold move, German gynecologist Joachim Volz has launched an online petition titled "I am a doctor and my help is not a sin." The petition, addressed to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the ministers for health, family, and justice, serves as a wake-up call to politics and society, calling for action against the restrictive abortion policies enforced by Catholic hospitals.
Volz's petition comes as a response to the merger of his former workplace, the Evangelical Hospital Lippstadt (EVK), with the Catholic Trinity Hospital GmbH. As a result of this merger, Volz, who had been the chief physician at EVK for 13 years, was prohibited from performing abortions.
The Trinity Hospital GmbH maintains a ban on abortions, both in the inpatient and outpatient areas. This ban also extends to Volz's private practice in Bielefeld. The clinic is obligated to consider Catholic interests regarding the performance of abortions.
Volz's lawsuit against this ban has garnered significant support, with over 150,000 signatures on his petition. Labor lawyer Till Müller-Heidelberg, who is representing Volz, argues that enforcing Catholic moral and ethical principles through labor law contradicts European and German law.
The case has sparked controversy, with the Archdiocese of Paderborn criticising Volz for publicly questioning the clinic's ethical orientation. However, Volz maintains that the Catholic provider's ban ignores the medical judgment, the will of the patient, and the law.
The legal battle between Volz and the Catholic hospital is far from over. A conciliation hearing at the labor court in Hamm failed, and the hearing is now set for August 8. Political representatives from the state and federal levels are expected to attend a demonstration in Lippstadt on this day, marching from the hospital to the court in solidarity with Volz.
The regional Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe supports Volz and his stance against the ban. Volz himself is prepared to go through further judicial instances if necessary, receiving numerous messages encouraging him to continue fighting.
While the outcome of this case remains uncertain, Volz's petition and legal battle have sparked a much-needed conversation about the intersection of religion and medicine, and the importance of upholding medical ethics and the law.
- The Catholic Hospital's ban on abortions, enforced in both inpatient and outpatient areas, has led to Joachim Volz, a former chief physician, being prohibited from performing the procedure.
- Volz's lawsuit against the ban, which extends to his private practice in Bielefeld, argues that Catholic moral and ethical principles should not be imposed on labor law, as it contradicts European and German law.
- While the Archdiocese of Paderborn criticizes Volz for questioning the clinic's ethical orientation, Volz insists that the ban ignores the medical judgment, the will of the patient, and the law.
- The legal battle between Volz and the Catholic hospital has garnered significant support, with over 150,000 signatures on Volz's petition, and political representatives expected to attend a demonstration in Lippstadt in solidarity with him.
- This case serves as a platform for discussions on the intersection of religion and medicine, emphasizing the importance of upholding medical ethics, the will of the patient, and the law, and may have widespread implications for health-and-wellness, mental-health, women's-health, men's-health, family-health, sexual-health, and parenting.
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