Your God vs My Health

Doctor: Good Afternoon, Antigone. I'm Dr. Judgement. What brings you in today?
Patient: Hi. My job switched insurance companies, so I had to restart my care with a new provider who was in network. I saw that you were and you're office is close to my work, so, here I am.
Doctor: That's great. Welcome. Let's get some history and then I will start my examination. (a few moments later)
Doctor: Are you sexually active?
Patient: Yes.
Doctor: What form of contraception or protection do you use?
Patient: Oh. Well. I don't. I mean. I don't have sex with men.

The doctor stares uncomfortable at the chart, then slowly looks up with a face that looks like a mix between disgust and fear. Without another word or any eye contact, the doctor leaves the room.

Just a moment later, the medical assistant enters the room.

Medical Assistant: I'm sorry. The doctor is no longer accepting new patients.

Think this cannot happen?

THINK AGAIN!

Almost one month to the day before President Bush ends his tyranny over the United States, he and his administration, "granted sweeping new protections to health workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal beliefs."

The implementation of this rule, which would cost more than $44 million, "would including the provision of birth control pills, Plan B emergency contraceptives, other contraceptives a worker might consider to be abortion, abortion, and issuing referrals to obtain such care. The regulation could also protect workers who object to providing care to unmarried people or gay men and lesbians." In addition, the rule could also protect workers who object to certain types of end-of-life care or to withdrawing care.

This means:

• if you are a single woman looking for birth control pills, you can be denied, as it is then assumed that you are engaging in premarital sex, which is a sin
• if you are looking for abortion resources, you can be denied, as that too is a sin.
• if you identify as gay or lesbian, or any other sexual orientation that deviates from the heterosexual, one man/one woman "norm," you can be denied any and all care.

Aren't medical providers supposed to help their patients?

Aren't they supposed to, without judgement, without personal agenda, care for their patients?

Imposing their own religions beliefs onto patients, in many cases, going against the standards of practice and best quality of care, is not only unjust, but it can also have deadly consequences.


What's next?
What happens when one of the more than 584,000 health care organizations, and even some pharmacies, that will be forced to comply to this new ruling, denies HIV testing, since that would imply that premarital or extramarital sex and in the case of a male patient, homosexuality???

What about when a woman is raped and goes to a hospital, but is denied a rape kit and the morning after pill because she is depicted as promiscuous by any of the hospital staff (the rule covers anyone with a "reasonable" connection to objectionable care -- including ultrasound technicians, nurses aides, secretaries and even janitors who might have to clean equipment used in procedures they deem objectionable) ???

Once again, the religion of some, are going to have drastically negative and discriminatory effects on a vast number of people. And, in true form of American history, the most marginalized will be the most greatly effected. The uninsured woman. The gay man. The un/underemployed. The un/under educated. Me. You. Us.