Conscientious objection: it seems in America, this fundamental right is slowly being taken away from us. While it has been routinely used by people opposed to war (and in this case, it has to be someone who is morally opposed to all war; if they have a reason to reject a specific war, like the Iraq War, their right to object is not clear in the United States), this is not the only way it can be – or should be – practiced.
In Washington, a law has been put into place that force pharmacies to provide for abortive contraceptives – even if the business is run by someone who has a moral objection to them. Sure, there is a provision which says an individual pharmacist who have a moral objection to a given prescription can pass along that prescription to one of his colleagues; yet it still requires the pharmacy to provide for such prescriptions, and if there is no one else to fill the prescription, than the pharmacist is required to fill it despite their objections.
Just as those who objected to war took their case to the American public, so too those who object to the demands being placed upon the medical profession must begin to take their case to the American public. Just as those who objected to war engaged in civil disobedience, and willingly risked being jailed, so to those who object to the laws being placed upon the medical industry must begin to take action, and even risk being jailed to make their case known.
How can we have a health care system when the medical industry is being used to push an agenda which runs contrary to the principles of medicine? Could we even have a health care system if doctors either begin to stop their practices or go to jail in order to preserve the principle of life which should be the foundation for the medical profession?
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