Refusal of Medical Treatment by Conscience
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Contents
Doctor's Beliefs can Hinder Patient Care
Erdely, Sabrina. Doctor's Beliefs Can Hinder Patient Care: New Laws Shore Up Providers' Right to Refuse Treatment. Self Magazine. MSNCB. 2010. [1]
Lots of good info here arguing on the side of NO they should not be able to refuse. This would probably be considered an editorial. It was originally published in the womens' magazine Self. It has some specific incidents as well as background info and arguments. This article is taking the side that doctors should put their patients first -- not their morals. It has many pertinent examples including a woman seeking Plan B after she had been raped, a woman trying to refill her birth control, a woman seeking an abortion, and a single mother trying to adopt. In all cases the women were judged by their doctors and essentially turned away. It also mentions men seeking vasectomies, or homosexual couples seeking invitro fertilization. It then talks about the logistics of religiously affiliated medical centers, and new legislation that would make conscientious objection legal in some states.
Madison
When Doctor's Slam The Door
Jauhar, Sandeep. "When Doctor's Slam The Door - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. New York Times, 16 Mar. 2003. [2]
This was from the New York Times magazine. It gives some examples of doctors who refuse to treat patients. It talks about how some doctors refuse to do prodecures on some patients because of how the patient treats himself. Some surgeons in Australis refused to give smokers surgery. It talks about how mandatory reporting mechanisms gives medical providers the incentive to refuse more difficult and complicated patients, other words abuse the conscience rule. A lot more doctors are refusing to treat high-risk patients to keep their records clean.
Kelly
May Pharmacists Refuse to Fill Prescriptions for Emergency Contraception?
Julie Cantor, & Ken Baum. (2004). The Limits of Conscientious Objection - May Pharmacists Refuse to Fill Prescriptions for Emergency Contraception? The New England Journal of Medicine, 351(19), 2008-12. Retrieved October 28, 2010, from Platinum Periodicals. (Document ID: 731163891). [3]
Mostly background info. Presents both sides of the argument as well as solutions to each side. There are some specific references to Plan B objections.
Madison
Doctors Deny Lesbians Insemination on Moral Grounds
Chitale, Radha. "Doctors Deny Lesbians Insemination Procedure - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories, Celebrity Interviews and More - ABC News. ABC, 1 Oct. 2009. Web. [4]
This is an incident that happened last year. Lesbian moms sue doctors for discrimination after being denied intrauterine fertilization because it was against the doctor's conscience.
Kelly
Doctors challenge right-to-die opposition
Adams, Stephen. "Doctors challenge right-to-die opposition." Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 3 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. [5]
This article does not directly say whether or not doctors should be allowed to refuse medical treatment of the terminal ill. However, it hints that doctors should NOT be allowed to refuse medical treatment. If the patient has terminal cancer, he or she should be allowed to choose their death, if they want to to. This article does not discuss whether or not doctors should be allowed to choose whether an unconscious or vegetative person shall live.
Jon
Sentenced to death on the NHS
Devlin, Kate. "Sentenced to death on the NHS." Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. [6]
Again, this article hints at the fact doctors should NOT be allowed to choose whether a person can continue living or not. There are too many stipulations that could go wrong making the diagnosis incorrect. For example, someone may be unresponsive, but if taken off "x" medicine, he or she may respond well. This information, however, is not always known. Therefore, doctors are in essence killing people who may not be as close to death as previously expected.
Jon
