8mm
Posted on 02/07/2007 2:29:28 PM PST by flixxx
Background There is a heated debate about whether health professionals may refuse to provide treatments to which they object on moral grounds. It is important to understand how physicians think about their ethical rights and obligations when such conflicts emerge in clinical practice.
Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a stratified, random sample of 2000 practicing U.S. physicians from all specialties by mail. The primary criterion variables were physicians' judgments about their ethical rights and obligations when patients request a legal medical procedure to which the physician objects for religious or moral reasons. These procedures included administering terminal sedation in dying patients, providing abortion for failed contraception, and prescribing birth control to adolescents without parental approval.
Results A total of 1144 of 1820 physicians (63%) responded to our survey. On the basis of our results, we estimate that most physicians believe that it is ethically permissible for doctors to explain their moral objections to patients (63%). Most also believe that physicians are obligated to present all options (86%) and to refer the patient to another clinician who does not object to the requested procedure (71%). Physicians who were male, those who were religious, and those who had personal objections to morally controversial clinical practices were less likely to report that doctors must disclose information about or refer patients for medical procedures to which the physician objected on moral grounds (multivariate odds ratios, 0.3 to 0.5).
Conclusions Many physicians do not consider themselves obligated to disclose information about or refer patients for legal but morally controversial medical procedures. Patients who want information about and access to such procedures may need to inquire proactively to determine whether their physicians would accommodate such requests.
(Excerpt) Read more at content.nejm.org ...
As I said in my blog, it just goes to show that "bioethics" is far too often justification of who can be killed.
Also, if medicine is a "monopolistic control over a public good," then so is every other profession that's licensed or regulated. In that case, Alta Charo owes me whatever I want, since she's a lawyer who works for a State University Medical School. I want some good, solid quotes protecting the right not to be killed, the right of conscience, and good ol' time religion.
Doctor, the left has so dehumanized the alive unborn (even prior to the Roe fiat ruling, messing with embryos was not considered dealing with humans) that the right not to be killed is not even in their comprehension for embryo-aged alive human beings.
I like "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," combined with "First, do no harm." I hope it doesn't sound trite. I don't see where the rights of the health care consumer overrule the rights of the health care provider. The state corrupts that equilibrium with its own interests and power.
It was mentioned on another thread. If someone is bound and determined to commit suicide, but they are so incapacitated that they physically can't do it, they should do what they can to find an assassin. That shouldn't be any part of health care, whether socialist or not, IMHO.
Bioethics ping.
Bright comments, and most appropriate "handle," neverdem.
How would you like to co-author a reply to NEJM? Otherwise, I'm just going to steal your first paradraph.
How would you like to co-author a reply to NEJM? Otherwise, I'm just going to steal your first paradraph.
Be my guest. I learned a great acronym when I was in the Army, KISS. It means, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." It has even helped me to pick my "handle." Paul Harvey just commented on the this NEJM article.
Thank you for the compliments. I'm off to jury duty, shortly.
("paragraph" not that typo - see why I have to steal quotes?)
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