Should doctors be able to deny service based on personal beliefs?

Mark (No)

The notion that doctors would be allowed to turn any patient away based on personal beliefs is nothing short of outrageous. It is antithetical to the oath taken by physicians to act as a barrier to any individual seeking health care due to conscientious objections. It should not be a matter of legalities but rather a matter of ethics and principles that doctors abide by. Besides, doctors who are unwilling to treat their patients due to personal belief differences can and most likely will be subject to litigation. It is in the health care system’s best interests to never allow a physician’s personal opinions to influence their work. 

Members of the LGBTQ community in states such as Ohio have been refused adequate health care due to their orientation. They've cited how difficult and futile it can be to find doctors willing to treat them. The fact that there hasn’t been a greater public outcry to blatantly discriminatory policies is astonishing. Denying health care under any circumstances will lead to a crisis of derision, costing people their well-being and potentially their lives. Doctors are not appointed to serve as morality monitors but as caregivers and public servants. 

It would be no different than firefighters or police refusing to assist a citizen or citizens based on personal beliefs. These people are here to provide a service that is completely devoid of prejudice. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), denying anyone health care based on personal beliefs is a direct violation of human rights. The fact that we are having this debate should be of grave concern to the public. It demonstrates just how crucial of a state our health care system is in. 

Luis (Yes)

Just like any other person, doctors and health professionals are human beings with their own beliefs and won’t like doing anything that goes against them. Because of this, they shouldn’t be forced to commit any action that makes them feel morally compromised, even if we’re talking about a legal health service or medical procedure that a patient wants or needs.

A good example is abortion, a topic with a delicate moral component that creates plenty of division not only in politics and academia but also in the health industry. After all, many believe that abortion represents a violent attempt against the unborn, being the reason why many doctors and health professionals who are part of any religious group deny this service, even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Right now, the decision to deny any medical service based on moral or religious reasons is protected in the vast majority of states in the country, which is entirely reasonable if we consider the existence of employees’ rights, as well as patients’ rights. Without this protection, it would be more common to see doctors performing medical services and procedures against their will, which could increase their levels of stress and anxiety to the point where it could severely affect their care.

If any professional of any industry can deny a service based on its belief system, a doctor can do it as well. At the end of the day, this won’t represent any inconvenience for the patient since many other doctors can provide the same service with no problem.