title: Healthcare without conscience--unconscionable!
abstract: The American public and government response to media reports of pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions due to moral objections could fundamentally alter health care. Denying one group of citizens the right to act on their conscience puts each citizen in jeopardy of losing First Amendment rights. Denying healthcare professionals the right to act on their conscience puts patients at risk of being cared for by those who are less than professional, those whose character attributes essential to quality care are compromised. We can define better solutions for access to legal prescriptions and therapies without demanding that healthcare professionals become complicit in activities they deem immoral.
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical & Dental Associations, 2604 Highway 421, PO Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621, USA. gene.rudd@cmda.org
authors.forename: Gene
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rudd
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003242:Conscience; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004994:Ethics, Pharmacy; D006801:Humans; D028681:Moral Obligations; D005791:Patient Care; D028701:Patient Rights; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000941:ethics*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000941:ethics*; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States