Physicians oppose Obama’s plan to gut ‘conscience’ rule
Pro-life physicians, nurses and other health care providers are urging Americans to contact the White House by the end of tomorrow to urge tolerance for those who do not want to provide medical services that violate their religious beliefs.
And Donna Harrison, president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says the issue is simple.
“We don’t want to kill our patients,” she said in an interview with Greg Corombos of Radio America/WND.
Physicians already have forecast that if morally objectionable procedures are forced on doctors and nurses, multitudes will simply leave health care, and hospitals even could be closed down.
According to LifeNews.com, a poll last week of 800 Americans found 87 percent believe it is important to “make sure that healthcare professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections.”
That perspective was shared by majorities among men, women, adults of all ages, races, regions and political affiliations.
Even 78 percent of those who support legal abortions considered the protections important.
Harrison told Corombos the change actually could be a maneuver on Obama’s part to eliminate pro-life physicians and nurses from the health care industry.
“We understand we have two patients, the pregnant woman and her unborn child,” she said.
But Harrison said Obama has made clear that abortion will be part of the national health care plan he’s proposing.
The loss of conscience protection could “gut pro-life physicians from medical care,” she said.
“If abortion is made a part of the health care plan as it’s proposed, then all entities receiving federal funds will need to provide what the government asks for,” she said. Not providing abortion, “means you’re not part of the system.”
No government has a right to force anyone to violate their moral conscience. The government has no right to force physicians or health care workers to violate the Hippocratic Oath:
“I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.”
While the modern oath does not include these words, they nonetheless must remain sacrosanct or we can never again trust the medical profession not to obey the state and give a lethal drug to political enemies of the adminsitration or party in power.
This must not be allowed to happen, the government must not be allowed to force anyone, even in an emergency to violate their moral beliefs.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94376
