Will your doctor tell you what you need to know?An individual whose physician has a moral or religious objection to a particular procedure may not be able to count on the physician to provide information about it or a referral to a doctor who will perform it. (1) In a survey conducted among a random sample of practicing physicians in 2003, nearly two-thirds of participants said that if a doctor has a moral or religious objection to a procedure, it is ethically permissible for the doctor to describe that objection to a patient requesting the procedure. However, substantial proportions did not consider themselves obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to provide information about or referrals for procedures that they find objectionable (14% and 29%, respectively); those with objections to controversial procedures were more likely than others to feel this way. Given that half of physicians surveyed objected to providing abortions to women who experienced a contraceptive failure and four in 10 objected to providing contraception to adolescents without parental consent Parental consent laws (also known as parental involvement or parental notification laws) in some countries require that one or more parents consent to or be notified before their minor child can legally engage in certain activities. , the ramifications ramifications npl → Auswirkungen pl for sexual and reproductive health Within the framework of WHO's definition of health[1] as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene may be nonnegligible. As the investigators comment, people who are concerned about certain "legal yet controversial" procedures may want to find out in advance whether their doctor will discuss them. (1.) Curlin FA et al., Religion, conscience, and controversial clinical practices, New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. , 2007, 356(6):593-600. FYI "For your information." See digispeak. FYI - For Your Information is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. |
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