U.S. Gvmt Tries To Limit Women's Access To Health Care
kirbyfest said it better than I can and linked to maho_kiwi, who said it better than either of us and gave a number of courses of action we can take to oppose this discriminatory and anti-woman law that is going to go into effect in 30 days. This is the law's wording.
This legislation states that all medical facilities that receive government funding would essentially need to promise that they wouldn't fire their doctors (or nurses or scalpel washers) for deciding that, based on "moral objections", they would not treat their patients. Officially, this is meant to apply to abortion, but the new legislation makes the definition of "abortion" so fuzzy that it would also allow health clinics to deny birth control prescriptions or emergency contraception to rape victims.
Let me repeat: in the guise of "respecting people's consciences," this law would prohibit firing of (and, it sounds like, disciplinary action against) medical providers who refuse treatment to their patients if the provider does not personally agree with that treatment.
In my world, the first rule of medicine, of teaching, of massage therapy, of human services, of interpreting has always been about the ETHICS of being required to work with EVERYONE, to provide services to EVERYONE, EQUALLY, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, background, sexuality, illness, etc. You can't refuse to interpret accurately because you don't like what someone said. You can't refuse to provide a massage because you don't like how someone looks. You can't refuse to fill a presecription because you don't believe in treating an illness you perceive as caused by a "lifestyle" with which you disagree. You can't refuse to provide services to someone because you think women don't deserve that option. You can't just say, "*I* don't believe in that so I will not provide you the services I have promised to provide to anyone who DOES agree with me."
ETA:This is VIOLENTLY contrary to EVERY fundamental Code of Ethics I've EVER encountered, all of which have said, "If you don't think you can provide quality and equal service to EVERYONE no matter WHAT your beliefs and theirs are, no matter what personal squicks they have, DO NOT GO INTO THAT FIELD." I mean, the first huge chunk of massage programs I've heard about emphasize that you must provide service to those with skin conditions, all body types, foul odors, etc., just as you would to any other client...and that if you can't do that, you should NOT JOIN THE FIELD. This should be no different. If you can't provide medication for birth control, hormone imbalances, whatever, DON'T be a pharmacist/doctor/etc. What's next? "I personally think AIDS is a sign of immorality, therefore I won't fill a prescription for controlling it" or "I think that anyone who has a pain disorder is really a drug seeker and so I won't fill their prescription" or "I am trying to preach Christian Science by refusing medication of any kind and instead will pray for God to heal this patient if He sees fit"????? /ETA
This law is a hairsbreadth away from saying that if a provider doesn't agree with someone's religion, they need not provide services to that person. A hairsbreadth away from saying that women shouldn't be allowed to have glasses because they should know their place and not drive/go out without an escort. A hairsbreadth of refusing treatment to anyone gay because the provider believes that homosexuality is "wrong."
It IS opening the door to letting providers say that since they believe [in spite of all scientific evidence] that birth control equals abortion, and since they believe that abortion is wrong, that they will not prescribe, inform about, or fill prescriptions for birth control of any kind--no matter the reason for said birth control.
This is FASCISM, and it is terrifying and dangerous and a first step in taking away rights from women, and then, by the slippery slope principle, from anyone else deemed to be "less." This is unAmerican and just plain WRONG.
Please, please, visit maho_kiwi's post, write to your legislator by going to NARAL, please do SOMETHING. As kirbyfest said, we may not GET an administration in November that would be inclined to fix or alter this. This cannot be allowed to stand. If it goes through as stated, women in this country will not be safe. And, if history teaches us anything, no one will be.
Please spread this to as many people as you can and get as many people to take action as possible.
This legislation states that all medical facilities that receive government funding would essentially need to promise that they wouldn't fire their doctors (or nurses or scalpel washers) for deciding that, based on "moral objections", they would not treat their patients. Officially, this is meant to apply to abortion, but the new legislation makes the definition of "abortion" so fuzzy that it would also allow health clinics to deny birth control prescriptions or emergency contraception to rape victims.
Let me repeat: in the guise of "respecting people's consciences," this law would prohibit firing of (and, it sounds like, disciplinary action against) medical providers who refuse treatment to their patients if the provider does not personally agree with that treatment.
In my world, the first rule of medicine, of teaching, of massage therapy, of human services, of interpreting has always been about the ETHICS of being required to work with EVERYONE, to provide services to EVERYONE, EQUALLY, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, background, sexuality, illness, etc. You can't refuse to interpret accurately because you don't like what someone said. You can't refuse to provide a massage because you don't like how someone looks. You can't refuse to fill a presecription because you don't believe in treating an illness you perceive as caused by a "lifestyle" with which you disagree. You can't refuse to provide services to someone because you think women don't deserve that option. You can't just say, "*I* don't believe in that so I will not provide you the services I have promised to provide to anyone who DOES agree with me."
ETA:This is VIOLENTLY contrary to EVERY fundamental Code of Ethics I've EVER encountered, all of which have said, "If you don't think you can provide quality and equal service to EVERYONE no matter WHAT your beliefs and theirs are, no matter what personal squicks they have, DO NOT GO INTO THAT FIELD." I mean, the first huge chunk of massage programs I've heard about emphasize that you must provide service to those with skin conditions, all body types, foul odors, etc., just as you would to any other client...and that if you can't do that, you should NOT JOIN THE FIELD. This should be no different. If you can't provide medication for birth control, hormone imbalances, whatever, DON'T be a pharmacist/doctor/etc. What's next? "I personally think AIDS is a sign of immorality, therefore I won't fill a prescription for controlling it" or "I think that anyone who has a pain disorder is really a drug seeker and so I won't fill their prescription" or "I am trying to preach Christian Science by refusing medication of any kind and instead will pray for God to heal this patient if He sees fit"????? /ETA
This law is a hairsbreadth away from saying that if a provider doesn't agree with someone's religion, they need not provide services to that person. A hairsbreadth away from saying that women shouldn't be allowed to have glasses because they should know their place and not drive/go out without an escort. A hairsbreadth of refusing treatment to anyone gay because the provider believes that homosexuality is "wrong."
It IS opening the door to letting providers say that since they believe [in spite of all scientific evidence] that birth control equals abortion, and since they believe that abortion is wrong, that they will not prescribe, inform about, or fill prescriptions for birth control of any kind--no matter the reason for said birth control.
This is FASCISM, and it is terrifying and dangerous and a first step in taking away rights from women, and then, by the slippery slope principle, from anyone else deemed to be "less." This is unAmerican and just plain WRONG.
Please, please, visit maho_kiwi's post, write to your legislator by going to NARAL, please do SOMETHING. As kirbyfest said, we may not GET an administration in November that would be inclined to fix or alter this. This cannot be allowed to stand. If it goes through as stated, women in this country will not be safe. And, if history teaches us anything, no one will be.
Please spread this to as many people as you can and get as many people to take action as possible.