From OneNews Now: If the Obama administration has its way, doctors and health care workers in America will no longer be legally protected from refusing to participate in procedures that violate their conscience.
In the waning days of the Bush administration an executive order was signed giving health care workers recourse in rejecting procedures like abortions and physician-assisted suicides if they violated their conscience. The new administration has given a 30 days notice that it intends to reverse that provision.
The Bush order was written in response to a number of complaints from medical health workers particularly from Christians. According Dr. David Stevens of the Christian Medical Association, an informal survey taken of its members found that more than 40 percent were being pressured to violate their ethical standards on the job:
“Physicians report losing positions and promotions because of their life-affirming views. Residents report losing training privileges because they refused to do abortions. [And] medical students report changing career tracks away from obstetrics for fear of pressure to do abortions.”
Here is the response of at least one unidentified Planned Parenthood lawyer:
‘If you’re not willing to provide a legal procedure, you have no business being in healthcare.”
Response: This is currently not a problem–yet. The vast majority of doctors and health care workers spend their entire careers without being put in a position to compromise their own ethical and religious beliefs. However this could radically change in the near future, particularly if the government becomes more responsible for administrating health care in this country.
The attitude of the Planned Parenthood lawyer above could easily dominate a government healthcare program–depending upon the administration. Christians in the health care industry could, in the future, find themselves compromised and being forced to comply with procedures that violate their beliefs in order to keep their jobs and positions.
Now is the time to voice your opinions on the issue.