[mriff]

I'd call this a hot button issue. What do you think about it?

Christian doctors' group protests rolling back 'conscience' rule - CNN.com

Story highlights:

• Christian doctors group says impending rollback of conscience rule is discriminatory
• Rule lets health care providers refuse to provide services they're morally against
• " 'Right of conscience' is under attack," one doctor says
• Supporter says Obama is putting "good health care above ideological demands"

[dmead]

It would seem to me that this is only an issue if you work in say the ER. if i am rolled in to the ER and will likely die if i don't get a blood transfusion and the attending doctor refuses to perform it based on moral grounds then i'd sy the ER has the wrong doctor in place. Howver, If i want advice from my primary care phycision on say transforming myself into a woman and he/she refuses to give me that based on moral grounds then i find a new doctor right?

i guess i don't fully understand the issue at hand. I say a doctor has every right to refuse the service being requested assuming it is outside the ER and isn't life threatning on moral grounds.

or am i missing something here.

[Dawg]

I actually agree with dmead. if its in the ER then he has no right to be picky but if someone is paying him directly I think he shoud have every right to refuse.

[dmead]

also please someone enlighten me as to the moral delima with a blood transfusion? i have never heard that one until i read that article.

[djm2]

There are some religious sects that are morally opposed to transfusions [really almost any form of medical care]; it is hard to imagine a member of those sects ever becoming a physician, but I suppose it is possible.

dmead and Dawg agreeing on something??? He// has frozen over!

[mriff]

A lot of the hoopla has to do with abortion providers and any service that has to do with 'family planning'. Such as prescribing morning after pills. Doctors who are morally against this had an out under the old rules. Which was a midnight law signed by Bush right before leaving office I believe. Obama is just reversing the rule. At least that's what I make of it. It is kind of vague.

[daphne]

Originally Posted by dmead

also please someone enlighten me as to the moral delima with a blood transfusion? i have never heard that one until i read that article.

Jehovahs Witnesses are prohibited from having blood transfusions according to their religious beliefs. I've never known of a doctor who was against blood transfusions, but I have seen someone suffer a great deal because they refused to to have one. I suspect that law is aimed primarily at doctors who are against abortion and 'family planning'.

[test54]

Yeah, most of the press on this goes to the Day After Pills and that some pharmacists did not want to give out the prescriptions but there are tons of other implications. I personally think that people have the right to no do things but those customers also have the right to get served or helped, just another tough issue.

[kathrynhr]

Wirelessly posted

I agree with the guys. Assuming the physician is not a first responder or an ER doc, there is ZERO reason to compel a medical professional to do something that he believes will harm, not help, a patient.