What people here are pissed off about is not so much that Doctor X won’t perform abortions, but that Doctor X will be legally allowed to try and block the patient from getting the abortion elsewhere. Like a pharmacist who won’t fill a scrip for emergency contraception and won’t give back the scrip so the customer can try another pharmacist. Or that Doctor X will get a job where abortion is specifically part of their job and then decide they won’t do it. Or even that Doctor X will endanger the welfare of a patient who needs an abortion for medical reasons.

Maybe that seems paranoid, but I’ve heard far too many stories of doctors like Doctor X to believe that it’s all paranoia. Fortunately there are plenty of doctors who aren’t like that, but the ones who are can make life hell for quite a few patients.

WTF?

The government and the medical board should have no power to dictate which elective services I do or do not offer. Thats not in the oath I took, thats not in the state medical board regulations that I signed, thats not in the ethical guidelines that I had to acknowledge to receive licensure.

Now that being said, an ob/gyn group practice or a hospital that directly employs ob/gyns should have the power to make abortions a job requirement if they so desire, as long as they make it public up front and a condition of employment before you take the job. I think the chances of this happening are virtually nil. Hospitals and group practices give individual practitioners a lot of leeway in choosing which services they provide. There’s a lot of restrictions on things you CANT do, but its unheard of for a group practice or a hospital to dictate what specific services that each doc has to offer under the umbrella organization. Thats not going to change regardless of what the law says.

Also, I believe docs should be required to provide referrals for procedures that they wont do themselves. I myself have no problem referring elective abortions to several other ob/gyn docs. We have a collegial working relationship, but I should have the right to decide which elective services I do or do not administer. If you went to the abortion providers and required them by law to manage hypertension (which is within every OB/GYNs scope of practice) they would balk as well and rightfully so.

Which, by the way: The public is encouraged to comment on this. You can send your comments to consciencecomment@hhs.gov. Make sure to use “provider conscience regulation” as the subject line. All comments will be published for public viewing. per naamah.