There is also one other thing to recall. The doctors also take a Hippocratic Oath saying that they will put the care of the patient first and foremost.
Now, if a patient needs an abortion for medical reasons, but your doctor doesn't believe in it, and carrying said child to term will have a high percentage chance of killing you...
Granted there would be easier chances of finding a doctor in that case who would say "Ok, the appointment is set." But if your primary care doctor says "No. I don't believe in those, lets do something different." you're screwed. Also, don't forget, that doctors CALL EACH OTHER for references. So if your primary care doc says no, then you have to go to Another doctor. And that doc office will likely call your primary care doctor if you tell them who s/he is. At which point the answer from most doctors will all be the same.
Why? Because doctors don't like stepping on other doctors toes.
So now what do you do?
In general, if you're going to take an oath to practice medicine, and do your best to help patients, then you need to take the good with the bad. Yes, abortions suck. I'm against them myself, but I am pro-choice. It's the womans body, it should be HER right, not mine, to do as she will. And there should be no doctor to tell her what she can and can't do with her own body either.
Also, don't forget, a doctor doesn't have to accept you as a patient.
As it pertains to which right trumps the other, in this case, the Hippocratic Oath would trump whatever moral religious obligation because living in America is indeed something where freedom of religion is practiced. However when you take that Hippocratic oath, you're saying that no matter what, you'll do what's in the best interest of the patient, even if that means doing something you don't like.
Patient Care > Moral Obligations.
I don't like it - but it's setup like it is for a reason. If a doctor doesn't like one part of the medical field, then there are TONS of other areas for him to go practice other than being a GP or a Gynecologist or any other doctor who has to deal with abortions. Interns have the option of where they intern at, they do not have to choose a spot where they'll run into that situation.
Imagine this as well: Someone that is against technology says "I don't use these items because it violates my religion.". Suddenly you go in for a surgery and there's no anastesia, there's no sleeping medicine, you don't get hooked up to anything to monitor your condition, and the doctor is standing there with a knife and a mid-wife for comforting.
This line of thinking with this rule will inevitably open the doors for doctors to "cut costs" and say something based on religion for not doing something to sacrifice patients health care because it's "cheaper" this way.
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chiming
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Date: 2008-08-23 12:33 pm (UTC)From:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath
Now, if a patient needs an abortion for medical reasons, but your doctor doesn't believe in it, and carrying said child to term will have a high percentage chance of killing you...
Granted there would be easier chances of finding a doctor in that case who would say "Ok, the appointment is set." But if your primary care doctor says "No. I don't believe in those, lets do something different." you're screwed. Also, don't forget, that doctors CALL EACH OTHER for references. So if your primary care doc says no, then you have to go to Another doctor. And that doc office will likely call your primary care doctor if you tell them who s/he is. At which point the answer from most doctors will all be the same.
Why? Because doctors don't like stepping on other doctors toes.
So now what do you do?
In general, if you're going to take an oath to practice medicine, and do your best to help patients, then you need to take the good with the bad. Yes, abortions suck. I'm against them myself, but I am pro-choice. It's the womans body, it should be HER right, not mine, to do as she will. And there should be no doctor to tell her what she can and can't do with her own body either.
Also, don't forget, a doctor doesn't have to accept you as a patient.
As it pertains to which right trumps the other, in this case, the Hippocratic Oath would trump whatever moral religious obligation because living in America is indeed something where freedom of religion is practiced. However when you take that Hippocratic oath, you're saying that no matter what, you'll do what's in the best interest of the patient, even if that means doing something you don't like.
Patient Care > Moral Obligations.
I don't like it - but it's setup like it is for a reason. If a doctor doesn't like one part of the medical field, then there are TONS of other areas for him to go practice other than being a GP or a Gynecologist or any other doctor who has to deal with abortions. Interns have the option of where they intern at, they do not have to choose a spot where they'll run into that situation.
Imagine this as well: Someone that is against technology says "I don't use these items because it violates my religion.". Suddenly you go in for a surgery and there's no anastesia, there's no sleeping medicine, you don't get hooked up to anything to monitor your condition, and the doctor is standing there with a knife and a mid-wife for comforting.
This line of thinking with this rule will inevitably open the doors for doctors to "cut costs" and say something based on religion for not doing something to sacrifice patients health care because it's "cheaper" this way.
Just my way of looking at things.