Would it be appropriate for a hospital to hire ER physicians who refused to examine opposite-sexed patients because their religions tell them it’s immodest? And who denied them access to other doctors of the opposite sex?

We’re talking about standard care here. You might genuinely believe that interfering with the transmission of life is playing God, but if you are going to serve a secular public you need to be able to cope with a secular world in which contraception is a neutral act.

You might genuinely believe that for a woman to be in the presence of a man without being escorted by her husband, or for her to touch any man who is not her husband or son, is a sin against the separation of sexes instituted by God. But if you are going to serve a mixed-gendered world in a secular world, you need to find a way to cope. You cannot simply refuse care. It’s reasonable to expect examination and treatment for upper left quadrant chest pain in your local ER. Likewise, it’s reasonable to expect the offer of emergency contraception as part of your care when you’ve been raped. This isn’t about “gratification.”

It would be an interesting to do a survey asking women if they would want to go to an ob/gyn who refuses to dispense birth control, even if they are not in need of contraception themselves.

Personally, I cannot fathom why anyone would become an ob/gyn who has such hard and fast rules regarding birth control.

post should read “wrong to not prescribe Vioxx”

Hmmm…

What if they believe you are not ill and you disagree? What if they believe you are very ill, and you disagree? Should they not put their beliefs first? What if, contarary to popular practice, they believe a certain treatment is harmful? Would the doctor have been wrong to prescrivbe vioxx to you 2 years ago if he/she “believed” that it may not be beneficial, but harmful? Or should your demands and “beliefs” come first?

Who is the professional, and who is seeking advice?

If a doctor doesn’t want to be involved in birth control or sterilizations, why wouldn’t that person be up front about it, before a patient makes an appointment with him or her. The doctor could have a brochure in their office that states their stance on birth control. They could have this information up on their practice website and/or the webpage that their local hospital has for them. If a new patient calls their office, the receptionist should tell that person about the doctor’s policies.

That way, no patient wanting birth control would make an appointment with that doctor (though there’s an awful lot of women who have a strong interest in birth control; it’s a lot of patients). The doctor doesn’t waste his time with a patient he won’t treat.

Personally, I’d want to know if a family doctor or gynecologist I see has such strong beliefs. I’m beyond the age where I need birth control, but I still wouldn’t want to be cared for by someone who puts his/her beliefs first.

That was the point of the article: that you can’t go to a doctor and demand whatever you want, even in the emergency room, even if what you want is legal and is accepted practice. People are just amazed that the voluntary nature of care works two ways. The world doesn’t all work lik Burger King.