Does the doctor in the public hospital have the right to refuse life saving treatment due to religious beliefs. Ex. blood transfusion...
The hospital forms have a check box for "Do you agree to a blood transfusion in the event of a life-threatening incident?" I asked "Does anyone NOT check that box?" They said "Yes. Two groups. Jehovaha's Witnesses and racists who'd rather die than risk having non-white blood." Now, that is hate.
And thankfully, their hatred might kill them
I think "First, do no harm" pretty well rules that out.
Medicine isn't for everyone. Just like being a county clerk in Kentucky is not for everyone.
@witchymom As an RN, screw Trump, I don't need any "religious freedom" doing my job. It is so against nursing ethics (and medical ethics in general) to ever refuse care of a patient based on religious beliefs. If there are certain people you don't want to treat, get the hell out of the hospital and work in a church.
Lol, don't even go there. I lived in Kentucky around the time of the whole Kim Davis debacle.
The patient can refuse it, but the doctor has to offer all life saving procedures to the patient.
This is the correct answer. Some patients refuse treatments based on religious beliefs, but we cannot refuse care based on ours. I do have a huge beef with Jehovah's Witnesses refusing blood transfusions for their children. Absolutely infuriating.
@MissInfermiera Some JW are getting around that by bagging their own blood. However sure doesn't work in an emergency does it? (Have a friend who is JW who had surgery done).
It would certainly be a violation of their hyppocratic oath. If for some perverted reason they felt they should not intercede, the LEAST they should do would be to summon another doctor to take his place.
I've had it happen with my son. In short they got away with it. We had to get medication from a different doctor. It made me wish very hurtful things to them. Looking back, I wish I would have reported it to the AMA. Let me restate that, because at this point, I was too accepting of there position, and their position threatened my sons life. I will NEVER accept that again. They WILL get reported if that ever comes across my health or anyone I am in care of.
Sorry you had to go through that.
Hippocratic oath states,, "First, do no harm." So the doctor who refuses necessary treatment is in violation of his primary oath, not to mention state & federal laws. Sue!
I am also a physician and don't believe it is a doctor's right to refuse treatment that a patient needs on the basis of his or her religion. I work for a Catholic hospital system, but I don't think I could work for them if I were in (for example) ob-gyn, where abortion and birth control become issues. I'm a child neurologist and there isn't much there is to fight about in my field. It's politically inactive
No doctor has the right to withhold lifesaving treatment due to the doctors religious beliefs. One sentence in the Hippocratic oath states " I will apply for the benefits of the sick all measures which are required " Failure to comply is a breach of this oath.
If this isn't all sorted out before I get to the hospital, I am going to be blaming the hospital. This doctor didn't arrive on their doorstep that morning. I have no problem with the doctor and the hospital coming up with a Plan B to work around any personal issues and beliefs.
No, that is horrifying! If a doctor refuses to give life saving treatment, they should lose their license and be held responsible. People should not die because of a doctor's religious beliefs. They should not be doctors if they feel that strongly and need that option.
Hospitals, and public ones at that, should always remain a secular institution. If your religion interferes with your job, then find a new job instead of potentially bringing greater harm to someone in need. It's a cruel and disturbing thought that there are doctors out there who would refuse to do their very job because of religious reasons.
You're very job is to help and treat the sick and needy, if you can't do that because of some messed up religious differences, then your wasting you talents and put that patient in a greater state of distress. A hospital is a place of healing, political and religious ideologies be damned. It's disgraceful how a doctor would abandon the very altruistic nature of their profession, get away with it, and still sometimes try to act empathetic towards to patients plight.
You're religious freedom ends when other peoples health and livelihood are at stake.
Whose religious beliefs? The patient's or the doctor's? If the doctor harbors these religious beliefs he need to seek another profession. The patient's beliefs are another story. That is a legal question. The adult patient has the right to refuse treatment even if it means death. Where children are concerned it a complicated story. A child with cancer whose parents believe in alternative treatment and who believe chemo is wrong and dangerous - this has been a very sorry situation. We are in the dark woods concerning treatment of cancer. Some limited chemo works but most of the time doesn't. Science has a lot of work to do here.
I think you have a shitty religion, or religious beliefs if they allow you to discriminate or hate against others for simply trying to exist. I do not believe any legal system should allow someone to use their religious beliefs to discriminate against others.
I would say no. It would not only be wrong to do so considering it's a public and I'm assuming secular institution but they can be disbarred from the medical profession for violating their Hippocratic oath.