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Should medical professionals be able to choose whom they treat?

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Elegran Fri 26-Apr-13 12:31:45

But would a Catholic doctor or nurse really refuse to treat someone who had attempted suicide or had an abortion? and I don't think a Jehovah's witness doctor would refuse to treat someone because they had had a blood transfusion.

I think all these examples are of people who might give a lecture to the patient on their previous behaviour/treatment but would still treat them.

Not that I have heard of any JW doctors, even the training must involve things they cannot accept. My JW aunt goes to a "normal" doctor, and accepts "normal" treatment, though she will not countenance a blood transfusion or a transplant.

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Greatnan Fri 26-Apr-13 12:13:41

There was a good discussion on The Wright Stuff this morning and a rather alarming statistic was given - that 45% of trainee doctors think they should be able to opt out of taking part in medical procedures if they don't approve of them.
The obvious example was of Catholic doctors and nurses not wanting to give care to women who have had abortions, but other examples were mentioned, such as Jehovah's Witnesses refusing to treat somebody who had received a blood transfusion, or a Catholic doctor refusing to treat a failed suicide.
My own view is that it would be absolute chaos if medical professionals were allowed to pick and choose their patients. What if a woman was bleeding to death after an abortion and the only doctor available was Catholic? This brought to mind the terrible case in Eire where an Indian woman was allowed to die because the doctors thought they could not give her a section because they could detect a fetal heart. She bled to death. Apparently, the doctors has 'misunderstood' the actual directive from the Vatican, which is very confusing.

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