[Vision2020] Obama to Rescind Conscience Rule

Paul Rumelhart godshatter at yahoo.com
Wed Mar 4 19:16:41 PST 2009


g. crabtree wrote:
>  "I can certainly see situations (as Saundra Lund notes) where medical 
> providers, citing their religious beliefs, refuse to provide prenatal 
> care to various clients, refuse to give ED medication, refuse to do 
> reconstructive surgery."
>  
> I'm thinking that you imagine the situations more vividly then you 
> might see them. Let's leave the religious aspect of this discussion 
> aside for a moment. While I find it more then a little hard to believe 
> that any other then the tiniest fraction of medical providers would 
> withhold the services you list, I still would have to ask, so 
> what? Get a different provider. As I have argued in the past, all 
> purveyors of goods and/or services, whether they be landlords, 
> physicians, pharmacists, bankers, grocers, mechanics, or anyone 
> else should be free to decide who they want to work for and sell to 
> based on whatever whim strikes their fancy.
>  
> You're apparently in favor of the right to be irresponsible. You're in 
> favor of the right to not deal with the consequences of irresponsible 
> behavior. Above all else you're in favor of the right to choose. What 
> about my and others rights? Why does the right to choose supersede 
> everyone else's right to view innocent life as something special and 
> worthy of protection? What is it about your rights that are so special 
> that I have to be forced to join with you in exercising them against 
> my will?
>  
> g

Don't physicians already have the right to quit their jobs and go work 
elsewhere if they feel they are being forced to do something that goes 
against their conscience?  Why do we need legislation to allow employees 
not to perform their work duties?  I don't particularly like the idea of 
dialing 911 again and again until I get someone who is not a Jehovah's 
Witness and is willing to give me a blood transfusion when I really need 
it for example.

This is similar to the Muslim guy in the news a while back that refused 
to sell alcoholic beverages at a convenience store.  He's unsuited for 
the job he's in.  He should be fired and replaced with someone who is 
willing to sell alcohol to adults.

If you're in a job that might force you to do things you find 
objectionable - find another job.

Paul



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