Musing on a non-dog topic

[minnathered]

To set the stage, my belief is that abortion (for humans) should be safe, legal, and rare (i.e.,  we need better contraceptive methods and education on how to use them for anyone of an age to be capable of reproducing

Comments

[hycaliber]

I am SO with you.

I'm adopted. My mom was REALLY young (biological) when she had me. SO! I feel I get to have a real say and I STILL believe that everyone should have a choice and an option. Thanks for being someone who agrees :)

[gumbypuppy]

Why do you feel that way? If you think that doctors should be able to legally refuse to provide an abortion, why should they NOT be able to refuse a prescription for Plan B?

The pharmacist, I think, is a different case. I don't believe a pharmacist should be held liable for what a person does with a prescription that is legally written & filled, so it also follows that the pharmacist should not have the right to refuse the prescription. IMO.

I basically agree with your points, just not sure about that one bit.

[multisylldogs]

In the case of an abortion, the doctor must do an "act" that s/he doesn't believe in or want to do. In the case of Plan B, the choice to use the drug is the patient to whom it is prescribed (they are the "actor"), the physician doesn't do the action, so has no legal right to refuse it, imo.

RU 486 also is/was taken by the patient, in their own home, after having it prescribed. So a physician should prescribe it and let the choice to use it be up to the patient.

The pharmacist has no right to refuse to fill a legally written and obtained prescription. Their belief system plays no part in the choice of the patient to use the medication, or not.

So, in reality, the choice should be made by the person or persons doing the act of ending the pregnancy, whatever the means.

[minnathered]

I'm not supersure about that point either, which is why I wondered about hypocrisy. Some of my reasons are more pragmatic than morally based

[multisylldogs]

There's probably many who would consider the questions of whether or not a fertilized egg is a baby to be a moral point versus a pragmatic one. But that's beside the point. It's also sad and creepy that a physician might cause pain to a woman because she wanted to end a pregnancy and s/he was against it, for whatever reason. Which to me, brings this discussion around to where it often goes, which is a woman's choice about the control over her own body.

It seems to me that your original statement (better education regarding conception and contraception) as well as the promotion of solid relationships between a person and their physician would seem to reduce some of this sort of stress and drama. If a physician is up front with their female patients regarding contraception, abortions and these other drugs, then the woman can choose a doctor that best meets her needs. It also puts the responsibility of what to do about a pregnancy where it belongs, on the person who is pregnant.