Posted on 02/08/2007 4:09:59 PM PST by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new survey of doctors nationwide finds 52 percent said they oppose abortion and others wouldn't refer women considering an abortion to a place that does them. They survey also found some physicians believe it is appropriate to withhold information about abortion on moral grounds.
University of Chicago researchers conducted the study with interviews of 1,144 doctors around the country. It is believed to be the first comprehensive survey of the moral attitudes of physicians.
The study found 14 percent of those surveyed do not believe they are required to tell a patient about all treatment options when it comes to morally objectionable procedures such as abortion.
And 29 percent of physicians say they do not feel they must refer someone to another doctor for a treatment they oppose or were undecided.
Doctors who described themselves as strong Christians, whether Protestant or Catholic, were more likely to refuse a referral or more information about morally objectionable procedures like abortion.
Dr. Gary Smith, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Women's Health Center at Robinwood in Hagerstown, Maryland, is one such doctor.
Smith does not do abortions or refer women to physicians that do and he won't tell a pregnant woman that abortion is an option.
"They know it's an option," he told the Baltimore Sun newspaper. "They don't need me to tell them abortion exists."
"I was always taught I have two patients: the mother and the baby," he said. "Why would I want to send somebody out to hurt their baby?"
Female doctors were more likely to refer women to abortion practitioners than male physicians the study showed.
The survey also found that 42 percent of physicians opposed prescribing birth control to a minor without parental approval.
Dr. Farr Curlin, a University of Chicago ethicist and internist, led the study, which was published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
Some 1,820 practicing U.S. family doctors and specialists chose randomly from a database were mailed a survey and 63 percent of them responded.
""I was always taught I have two patients: the mother and the baby," he said. "Why would I want to send somebody out to hurt their baby?" "
That says it all.
"My guess is that female doctors are far from typical of women as a whole. I'd bet anything they're more liberal."
Well...there more career oriented so they know how damaging a baby can be to one's pursuit of a medical degree, internship, and medical practice.
They would probably be more likely than the male doctors to view children as burdens/obstacles/inconvenient.
That's wonderful news! Give him lots of hugs.
I don't know how good a spokesman you'd make for the dems, but you have displayed an ability to say the opposite of what you mean. Now you need to work on concealing the bad taste it leaves. You aren't going to fool anyone if you keep curling your face up like that. And then to follow it up with a perfectly rational post. What were you thinking? No, I'm sorry, you're just going to have to stick with what you know. And being a spokesman for the dems ain't it.
Yes, that would be part of it.
Haven't heard much about it lately, but a year or two ago, weren't the NAGs screeching for making abortion training mandatory in med school because practicing abortionists were getting long in the tooth and dying off?
Well, for me, I'm just glad the AMA allows physicians to exercise their own moral volition.
I didn't.
The first thing that occurred to me is that now the infanticide crowd will start working to pass legislation requiring physicians to refer patients.
Many Congratulations! We have a 10 month old little rascal - what a precious joy...
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