The Abortion Wars Get Technical

If you deny healthcare providers the right to follow their conscience, then you will find people turning from the field entirely, and we need good healthcare providers! Do you want to see all the Catholic hospitals close their doors, leaving many people without a local emergency room? Because that's what many Bishops have said they might do if FOCA is passed. Without provisions so doctors can follow their consciences, you'll have many who find they simply cannot practice medicine in this country. Don't leave the rest of us patients out in the cold because you want every doctor to be forced to give you an abortion or prescribe you birth control. If I get in a car accident, I don't care what the doctor's personal beliefs are, I just want him/her to be good at what they do. Don't chase our doctors out of the medical profession for your personal agenda!

If you do not believe in God the anything goes. It is ok to have sex; create a baby; and kill it. Doctors and nurses have the right to avoid abortion services because of our Constitution's guarantee of Religious freedom and more importantly because the "Morning After Pill" is currently associated with 5 deaths.

If a doctor thinks - with very good reason - that performing an abortion is, in fact, to kill a human child. nobody can force him to do that. Doctors are there to save life, of everybody, they are not there to kill babies!!!

And of course, if some girl wants to kill her own baby, she must be informed of what she is doing. It´calMURDEMURDER

How far are we willing to take the intrusion of faith into the public sphere, and legal policy? Just a question to ask before when supporting restriction of others' rights on the basis of faith. Others' faith may in turn restrict your rights. Be careful. Very careful.

On discovery of pain medications, many religious leaders, particularly those of the Catholic faith, opposed use of pain medications. Pain was believed to be justified divine punishment for those who were of insufficient faith, or actively committing sin, or serving penance for past sin. Pain sent by God was therefore not to be interfered with by artificial means in opposition to God's will.

A policy stands to be enacted permitting health professionals, including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, emergency responders, etc., to decline to administer medications and procedures which conflict with their religious or moral convictions.

A simple question: Do those who support the new policy also support a pharmacist's right to deny them pain medication following a surgery? Or the banning of Tylenol and Advil on drugstore shelves? Misery is sent by God, is it not? At least some might quite easily return to those doctrinal stances. It's quite understandable if pharmacists of strong faith believe the alleviation of suffering to defy God's will, and choose not to dispense medications with that purpose.

These thorny questions arise whenever we as a society permit individuals to control others' choices with only the basis of personal religious beliefs. Job's faith was tested by God, and he lost all -- his health, his family, his wealth, his home. Should medical insurance, healthcare, and property insurance be permitted to interfere with God's purpose?

Consider it.

By the way... I had an abortion 22 years ago. The circumstances are no one's business, and I hope they never are, because it was my choice, and one which by its very nature did not belong in the public sphere. In any case, I'm not suicidal, troubled hormonally, or having any regrets about my decision and action. I do regret having made choices which resulted in a pregnancy under very adverse circumstances. However, it was the right, best, and most appropriate choice to make at that time. One I would make again given the same circumstances. I now have two beautiful children whom I adore, and am able to support them financially, emotionally, and socially as a full-time, work-at-home mom. Abortion was a good call, and not one for which I owe anyone an apology, regardless of the views of some.

War is killing a human being too, let's not forget.

OK Alicia... at what point does the child get the right to live...?

Women, listen up. When you are pregnant, it is no longer your body. You share it with someone else called "your child." Congratulations, mom. Pregnancy moves you into a spot where abortion is no longer a hypothetical choice, it is simply and plainly death of your child. If you don't want to get pregnant, then don't have sex. If you do get pregnant, then do the RIGHT thing for someone else instead of the EASY thing for you.

The question of abortion is NOT about a pregnant woman's dignity. The question is whether a woman after deciding to have sex can destroy human life. On the other hand, it is interesting that Abortionists can botch abortion after abortion funded by my tax dollars without even a whisper from your magazine. You do not believe in God so you believe your opinion on moral issues is superior.

question for the pro choce...? does the child have human rights...?

What is worse than murdering an innocent child... ? love to see your list pro choice...

i am not a Christian but pro life, and I do agree that no doctor should be compelled to perform an abortion. If one were pro life and forced to terminate a pregnancy, I could see that as causing a huge amount of mental anguish for the doctor. What pro choice people need to understand is that many pro life people see abortion as murder,. plain and simple. Forcing a doctor to commit what they see as murder is going to have enormous emotional consequences, and i don't believe they should be compelled to perform abortions, as to them this would make them violate their oath to "do no harm." As has been stated on here before, there are plenty of people who are disagree with abortion for non religious reasons. There are plenty of non religious arguments that can be made against abortion.

However, I think it is repugnant that doctors can be allowed to refuse birth control to patients, because this is not a case in which the doctor is being forced to do something they would find emotionally traumatizing and morally repugnant. This is JUST about a doctor being able to refuse treatment based on personal beliefs. Birth control doesn't kill babies, it is the number one PREVENTION of abortion in this country. There are no objective arguments that can be made against birth control. While I know several non religious pro life people, I have never met anyone who is against birth control for a reason other than a religious conviction that sex for recreation and not procreation is a sin. This is not a case of a doctor being forced to commit what they see as an atrocity, this is a case of a doctor being able to force their religious beliefs on a patient, which should not be within their power to do so.

this is dumb. doctors should not have to perform an abortion if they are against it. that's just cruel. but they shouldn't be allowed to give misinformation like that south dakota law forces them to do. and pharmacists should not be allowed to just not give a woman her birth control pills. or the morning after pills. it's not their decision.

The slant of this article is shocking. Equally shocking is the fact that every person who has commented here refuses to recognize another individual's ethical beliefs, while demanding recognition of your own. If a doctor believes that performing an abortion is equal to killing a baby, then he or she must have the opportunity to decline performing the procedure. What you are asking for is legislation that will force a doctor to perform an action (that has incredible moral implications... this is NOT the same thing as filling up your car's gas tank, Tammy) against his will; the foundation of such legislation is surely of the type that none of you would support.

Nothing stops a patient from going to the doctor of his or her choice. No one's choice is being being infringed upon with this ruling. They can choose to go to another doctor or pharmacy. But to compel a doctor or pharmacist to do something outside of their conscience would be terrible indeed. How do you compel someone to commit murder? Would we ever compel a prison guard to 'flip the switch' if they opposed the death penalty? Would we compel a Jewish worker to work on the Sabbath - or compel a Muslim worker to eat at a working lunch during Ramadan? This is a free country - which means we are all free - free to choose our own doctors and as doctors free to choose to live within our own conscience.

Abortion is nothing but MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God said thou shall not KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is madness! Womens rights are being taken away by those who are un-affected . Hopefully this country will wake up and dismiss the divisive views of the religious right wing.