Protect Pro-Life Physicians’ Conscience Rights
Posted by Rebecca Teti in News on Monday, August 18, 2008 3:30 PM
Mike Leavitt, the US Secretary of Health & Human Services, explained August 7th on his blog why his agency is considering issuing regulations protecting the right of pro-life physicians and pharmacists not to participate in abortion or abortion-related activities. The Secretary’s responding to a move by the certifying organizations to require doctors to make abortion referrals in order to be board certified. The post has drawn 1222 comments at this writing—largely from adherents of Planned Parenthood & Moveon.org, who sent their constituents “action alerts” urging them to write in. From his follow-up post, it is clear the Secretary understands the importance of protecting conscience very well. He even has a sense of humor about it:
I’m delighted to announce that with the help of Planned Parenthood, my blog—for the first time—received more visits than my teenage son’s MySpace page.
Then he gets to the main point:
One thing I did find helpful was the clear explanation of the ideological basis of opposition to physician conscience. Mary Jane Gallagher, President of the National Family planning and Reproductive Health Association, was quoted in Congressional Quarterly’s HealthBeat saying, “Family planning providers work to provide family planning services. So it’s really not acceptable to the people I represent that this administration is considering allowing doctors and nurses and pharmacists that have received their education to provide services to now be able to not provide those services if they don’t want to.”
“Who’s going to provide access to contraceptives services if the administration provides this large loophole to deny services?” CQ reported Ms. Gallagher continued: “Providers are ‘given an oath—now they get to pick and choose what they want to do’ if a regulation is issued, she said.”
So, according to Ms. Gallagher’s ideology, if a person goes to medical school they lose their right of conscience. Freedom of expression and action is surrendered with the issuance of a medical degree.
Good man. Never let a good man stand alone, though. Especially not in politics, where it’s easier to act—you have more political muscle—the more people you’re seen to represent. I think the Secretary needs to hear from more of us who either are pro-life physicians or want to be treated by them, don’t you? Read more about the issue here. Then post your comment here.
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