"Conscience Protection"

[funnel101]

The Bush administration announced its "conscience protection" rule for the healthcare industry Thursday, giving doctors, hospitals, and even receptionists and volunteers in medical experiments the right to refuse to participate in medical care they find morally objectionable

Comments

[elizabethsays]

See, I kind of get the principle behind it, because I wouldn't want someone to have to do something that is something they do not believe in and believe is immoral.

On the other hand, these folks should be responsible for turning people over who are requesting certain types of care to other professionals who don't adhere to a belief system or a set of personal values that conflicts with the situation.

[tanyahp]

I hope he overturns it, this is pretty disgusting and just plain wrong.

[chaeri]

they have already started legislation to counteract it. however, that takes a while. i just hope people aren't too affected by it int he meantime.

what people don't seem to understand is that the law is written so broadly that if you go to get cough syrup and the cashier doesn't believe that its safe they can deny you the sale. its not just a woman's issue, its an anyone-who-wants-health-care issue.

[engelhardtlm1]

Personally, I believe in the freedom of conscience, and that it is very wrong... in fact, almost more wrong than anything else... to force someone to actively violate their conscience.

As I understand it, this rule seems to be protecting peoples' freedom of conscience, and I have a hard time seeing how forcing a conservative Southern Baptist doctor to perform an abortion is "more right" than giving them the right to refuse to do it.

[tanyahp]

I agree that people should act on their conscience, but this rule is far from protecting the rights of doctors and healthcare providers. As far as I am aware, No one can currently force someone to perform an abortion. The only thing a doctor is required to do is refer the patient to someone else who is willing to perform one. Under this new rule, they may be able to refuse to give this information to a patient who wants it. I can understand not wanting to perform an abortion, but this ruling is a blow to giving basic medical care. It means taking choice out of the hands of patients. It allows someone who might hold different religious or moral beliefs from yours to determine your course of action based on what they choose to dispense or choose to withhold.

[nate451]

You all are obviously free to do as you like, but take it as a gentle request from a representative of your friends and associates who find abortion, assisted suicide, and stem-cell research horrifying that we'd love, occasionally, to be reminded that you oppose the technicalities and the withholding of information buried in things like this, not freedom of conscience itself, which is certainly what it can sound like.