RG Wilson(CMA Secretary General)
Extract
.. . . the wording in the pertinent paragraph of the code of ethics represents an amendment to the recommendation of the committee on ethics, moved from the floor of General Council and subsequently passed. In discussing this paragraph the mover of the motion stated that the medical profession must stand by its ethics and, in so doing, has a responsibility to patients, who should not be abandoned in any regard. He went on to state that the medical profession is based on compassion and help and that every physician has a responsibility to a patient, even when he does not agree with a particular form of therapy. . . In suggesting changes in the code of ethics the CMA’s committee on ethics attempted to underline the right of the patient to have other opinions, and the responsibility of the physician to indicate to the patient that she has that right. General Council, in its wisdom, strengthened the recommendation and indicated that, in its view, the physician has a broader responsibility not to abandon the patient or impede her from obtaining help from other sources of assistance.
Wilson RG. (Correspondence) The Code of ethics: abortion referral. Can Med Assoc J. 1978 Apr 22;118(8):895-896.