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. The 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.
I disagree with this policy. While I think doctors should be free to reject performing abortions, doctors have a duty to inform patients of all their options. I'm not as bothered that doctors wouldn't do referrals in this case, but it still seems like they have a duty to supply information to their patients.
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?"
I don't think it's fair to say women know abortion is an option. Under certain circumstances, a woman may think there are other options and not understand that abortion is the only one available.
For example, I had a doctor want to do the alphafetal protein test when I was pregnant with my second child. The nurse explained that it was to detect Downs Syndrome. I asked what the options were if the baby had Downs and she replied (matter of factly) that I could either continue the pregnancy or abort. I was a little surprised that those were the only options available, but at least I had all the options laid in front of me.
Not surprisingly, female doctors are more likely to refer patients than male doctors.
Interestingly, 42 percent of doctors opposed prescribing birth control for minors without parental consent.
How about this: divide health care providers into two schools, the Hippocratic practitioners (no abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or assisted suicide) for those who want to avoid these things, and Progressive practitioners who will either provide or refer for these services.
ReplyDeleteI know I'd be totally repulsed at the idea of having a doctor care for me during a pregnancy if he was willing to so much as refer me for an abortion. I want somebody who values my unborn child as a fellow human being whose life should be protected and nurtured. And I shouldn't have to have to deal with a doctor who will be devaluing my child by suggesting abortion at any sign of trouble.
And a woman who wants to know her doctor will be alerting her at every sign of trouble and letting her know where she can get an abortion should she decide that's what she wants, let her go to a doctor who shares her approach.
This makes both sides happy, and ought to do a lot to reduce lawsuits.
I would be happy with that sort of arrangement. If a person knew up front what sort of treatment they could expect from a doctor, it would give more informed consent, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteWe can find doctors for just about anything these days. It seems to me that there would be a market for both sorts without any of the moral dilemmas.