Should Medical Providers be allowed to refuse treatment?

FL_Prius_Driver · Mar 8, 2009

This is an easy discussion compared to the previous national "right" to draft 18 years olds.

dbermanmd · Mar 9, 2009

efusco said: ↑

Whoa boy...
No doctor should be forced to do/prescribe anything if it falls outside his moral/ethical/religious values and he/she is uncomfortable doing so. That should be the presumption we start with. NOONE, no matter their profession, should be forced to do something unethical, immoral, or against their strong religious beliefs.

Now, there must be exceptions. In a case of life and death, when there are no available providers otherwise able to provide the requested services, and other emergency situations where no other reasonable means can be found.

Using the Viagra example...first I don't know of any ethical or religious reason it couldn't be prescribed (care to share your story with us Kow? ;-) ), but if there was one this is a completely elective medication that serves no critical medical roll...it's akin to a nose job. There are medical risks with it being prescribed/used and it's well within the physician's judgement whether to prescribe or not. There are a dozen physician's per block and a million internet resources to obtain that medication from and there is no reason to force any physician to violate his/her own personal ethics/values/religion just to provide it.

Where things get sticky are with issues like emergency contraception/abortifacents. I think the majority of us prescribe. The hospital I work for is Catholic and allows its prescription only in cases of alleged sexual assault. Personally I think that those are situations where one should swallow one's values for the sake of the concerned individual. There is no 'life' that's being ended, most of the time conception hasn't even occured. And if it has you're no further along than 8-16 undifferentiated cells. Time is critical and obtaining a physician appointment can be difficult and could cause delays beyond the time where such meds can be safely used...once that passes you're forcing the woman to decide on continuing the possible pregnancy or having a true abortion of an otherwise viable fetus. I feel that pharmacists should be equally conscious of these facts and have an equal responsibility to 'do the right thing'...if there are other pharmacists in the group that are willing then they should be called in, if there are other pharmacies available they should be refered there. If none of the above then the pharmacist should fill the script...I think the situation could be defined an emergency due to the time factor and circumstances.

I haven't answered the poll b/c I don't think the available answers convey my point of view on this.
Click to expand...

agree with you 100% Evan.

Almost like socialized medicine,,, the govt should not be able to force me against my free will to something i do not want to do - it is a basic matter of liberty and free will.

Froley1 · Mar 10, 2009

I'm grateful for this conversation.
It reminds me of why i stay away from the medical world.
Froley

EJFB1029 · Mar 11, 2009

Well it looks pretty overwhelming, a vast majority think that medical professionals should simply do their job as a medical professional, treat humans as humans, don't preach to them.

ctbering · Mar 11, 2009

Wildkow,
I would like to assume this post is your attempt to be cute or maybe you are ahead of the curve and really understand why the current healthcare in this country is no different than the class system in India.

If the drug companies didn't hold up AMERICANS on the price of Viagra and medical care was SOCIALIZED what would you care if they received a checkup and medication? You make a couple re-kindle their sex life. They stay relatively productive members of society. It seems more than reasonable to me.

But while your asking about Viagra, why not ask about other medical interventions not covered for AMERICANS without healthcare. How about inexpensive hypertensive medication that is refused by hospital emergency room for patients that are not in IMMEDIATE danger of heart attack/stokes. We know eventually the patient untreated for hypertension will stroke. At that point, hospitals cannot turn down a person that is in stroke and risk of dying....so the hospital now pays for the uninsured to be in intensive care for days and in a room for more days (at the hospital's astronomical rates)

Wildkow, those poor neocons always seem to think healthcare in this country is like the gold THEY own! They can't/won't share the benefits of good health with other Americans, many whom have probably contributed to society in ways they never did but can't be counted like a bean counter.

Just mention socialized medicine (like we have with other society services; police, trash, water and fire support) and your labeled a communist.
There is no medicine more beneficial than a prescription for hope.

Wildkow said: ↑

I have heard about some doctors refusing to administer Viagra based upon religious grounds. To me that sounds heretical and sacrilegious considering that we were told to go forth and multiply!

Wildkow
Click to expand...

Should Medical Providers be allowed to refuse treatment?

Should Medical Providers be allowed to refuse treatment?

Yes

No

Ethical only

Religious only.

Requires BOTH ethical and religious.

I don't know.

FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

dbermanmd New Member

Froley1 New Member

EJFB1029 New Member

ctbering Rambling Man

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Should Medical Providers be allowed to refuse treatment?

Should Medical Providers be allowed to refuse treatment?

Yes

No

Ethical only

Religious only.

Requires BOTH ethical and religious.

I don't know.

FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

dbermanmd New Member

Froley1 New Member

EJFB1029 New Member

ctbering Rambling Man