Maybe They Shouldn't Choose a Medical Career?
I am all in favor of medical pluralism. If Roman Catholic hospitals, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists don't want to perform abortions, use stem cells, or provide contraception that's fine with me. On the other hand, if conventional hospitals, abortion clinics, pharmacies, and university research facilities want to do these things, they shouldn't be forced to hire people who object to these treatments and procedures on moral grounds. Unfortunately, the Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services is apparently trying to ram just such an "anti-discrimination" employment regulation through. According to the Washington Post, the DHHS justifies promulgating the proposed new regulation on the grounds that:
"In general, the Department is concerned that the development of an environment in the health care industry that is intolerant of certain religious beliefs, ethnic and cultural traditions, and moral convictions may discourage individuals from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds from entering health care professions," the document states.
If CVS pharmacies want to refuse to hire a pharmacist who won't dispense Plan B emergency contraception because he/she thinks it's tantamount to abortion, the company should have the right to that. The would-be pharmacist should seek work elsewhere. In vitro fertilization clinics and stem cell research facilities should be allowed to discriminate against people who think the services they offer are immoral and so forth.
Whole Post article here.