Sometimes, I really wish I'd uploaded that Feminist Rage icon I made for lesbiassparrow...

[meganbmoore]

 Most, I assume, have heard of the proposition that will allow doctors to refuse to perform abortions or provide any sort of preventive medicine or procedure on moral grounds with no consequences.  Apparently, it now goes into effect within 30 days.  Doctors will not be required to offer any aid, or to direct patients to another physician.

This post by naamah_darling links to the actual proposition, and lays things out pretty clearly, and I recommend everyone reads it.  If you look in the comments, any objections to having a problem with this proposition are pretty well addressed.

Now, here's the thing:  I support sticking up for your beliefs.  However, the entire point of taking a moral stance-any stance-is that you make that stance with a willingness to accept the consequences, understanding that there will be consequences.  It means choosing your beliefs over  what is accepted or expected, knowing that you may be condemned for them, and may even suffer for them.   A doctor refusing to offer services under this law will not be making a moral stance.  He or she will be will face no consequences for their actions.

Anyone who went into a medical field where they would be expected to perform abortion or provide other preventive measures within the last few decades knew that is something that would be a part of their duties.  They already made their moral decision.  It's a part of their job, and this law allows them to refuse to do their job with no consequences.  (Actually, that's not true.  The patient has to face the consequences of the doctor's decision.  Other, better people have ranted about that.)  There are medical fields a person can enter where this would never be an issue.

Is it different if a person has a moral conversion, for religious reasons or not, after entering the field?  Yes.  And at that point in time, they should make the choice between their job and their morals.  Not say "well, I no longer feel comfortable with this aspect of my job, so I now refuse to do it, but I don't expect to be held accountable for this, be it reprimand, paycut, suspension, or job loss."

And, quite frankly, how long do you think it will be before this is used to justify refusing other treatments?  Refusing treatment because of a moral objection to homosexuality or different religious beliefs?  Because of a drug overdose?  Because of gang related injuries?  Injuries caused by substance abuse?

And after that, how long until treatment is refused for more personal reasons?  The kid who bullied you in school, that person who cheated on your kid or sibling when they dated, the speaker at a political rally you disagreed with, your ex?

Because if you think it won't spread to anything else, even if it does take a while, I think you are very, very sheltered.  At best.

And as this is largely being portrayed as a religious issue in the media(though not by anyone on the f-list I've seen, or any of the OP-ers I've been linked to), I'd just like to mention that not every Christian believes in forcing their beliefs on others, or expecting them to adhere to the rules they live their own lives by.  Nor does every Christian pass moral judgement on people who don't live by their rules, or expect others to make exceptions for them.  Most are too busy living their lives to dictate how others should live theirs. 

And now I'm going to go read something that actually makes me happy.


Note:  This post is not about abortion.  Very bluntly:  if you comment defending or condemning abortion, or anything close to either-or, for that matter, stating that this is about abortion-I will delete your comment, even if I agree.  Abortion itself is not the point here. 

ETA:  No, really, that note in bold?  I meant it.  Any comments condemning or defending abortion, especially those directed at other commenters, are being deleted.  Period. 

ETA 2:  To clarify:  I consider this to be an issue important to female rights because it's refusal of medical treatment that is specific to women.  Honestly, do you really think a law would be passed saying doctors could refuse male-specific treatments because they don't agree?

Comments

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

Man, you Americans are getting crazier laws by the minute. What is this, Bush's last stand?

I'm a doctor and I believe that refusing to provide medical services for any reason is wrong and a just reason for removing the license to practice. I honestly can't think of any reason that would justify not doing your job (except for illegal acts, of course - there could be a discussion about abortion legal/illegal, but it's not the place for it here). Would I like to provide medical care to a pedophile/rapist/murderer? No, but I'd still do it, cause it's my fuckin' job. And at the same time, I'm staunchly in favor of the death penalty for all of the above.

There are ways to avoid facing these ethical dilemmas that allow for respecting the tenets of the medical profession. For example, choosing another medical field. There are so many and despite what people think, there is not much difference between them as far as the medical act and the relationship with the patient are concerned. Of course, most OBGYNs happen to have a pole up their asses (they think they're all that etc). Most gynecologists choose this field for the prestige and the money.

Any medical field involves taking hard decisions. I mean, you have people's lives and well-being in your hands. If one cannot take the heat, one should go into research or statistics (cause there are medical fields that don't deal with patients and ethical decisions at all).

I found a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html) that I'm very much in agreement with. We as doctors leave at the door the right to act on our moral judgments on others. All we can do is serve the patient and the tenets of our profession.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The last paragraph is pretty much my entire point: it's forcing your moral stance and opinions on another and expecting them to live by your personal rules, and putting it beforethe health and well being of your patient.

[grey-fuzzy.livejournal.com]

Of course, most OBGYNs happen to have a pole up their asses (they think they're all that etc). Most gynecologists choose this field for the prestige and the money.


Really? I should really let my mom and all her other Ob/Gyn friends know about that. Maybe they've been doing it wrong this whole time. *snerk*

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

I'm sure your mother and her colleagues are well aware of the internal hierarchy in the medical field (both within the same field and among different fields), as well as the reasoning and the motivation that leads to choosing a specialty. Not to mention the way many doctors think about their patients.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

It is exactly Bush's last stand. See also the brilliant idea to discard scientific evidence when determining which species are really endangered.

[siedhr.livejournal.com]

O_O Well, I shouldn't really be surprised. I've been reading about Bush's idiocies for some time now. I keep thinking things will get better though.