RELIGIOUS FREEDOM! Doctor refuses to care for lesbian couple's 6-day-old baby

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/28142401/doctor-refuses-treatment-of-same-sex-couples-baby

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[Reaganfan]

This is news?

[Grumpier Than Thou]

This is news?

Yes, because doctors can now refuse to care for defenseless babies because of its parents' sexuality. Not very pro-life if you ask me.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

This is news?

You mean you've never been refused service because gingers don't have souls?

[Lief 🗽]

Needs to have her medical license revoked.

[The Dowager Mod]

Disgusting, but not surprising.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Needs to have her medical license revoked.

Disgusting, but not surprising.

[DemPGH]

Bigotry runs so deep that this doctor cannot care for a baby. Crazy stuff for 2015. She should not be in the profession, clearly, and might well have violated medical ethics, I don't know.   

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I know this is going to sound very libertarian of me, but it's not as if this doctor refused to provide emergency care.  She even made arrangements so that the baby would still be seen by a doctor at the appointed time.  The idea that people who choose to provide services should have no ability to decide who to serve is a rather illiberal one. It was a bigoted and stupid decision on her part, but unless it rises to the point of preventing people from having any access to a needed service, I don't think government should be interfering in this particular form of idiocy.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

This is news?

Yes, because doctors can now refuse to care for defenseless babies because of its parents' sexuality. Not very pro-life if you ask me.

They've always been able to do this, it's just that now these things get picked up very quickly.

The doctor should find some spiritual guidance and learn that this is not a precept of any sane religion. But the state doesn't determine what religious views are sane. She at least arranged for someone else to see them, which was her duty.  If this visit was paid for ahead of time they should be owed back their money. If this was an emergency or life and death situation then she would be liable, but it wasn't.

[King]

Sounds like a ClickHole article, only replace Religious Freedom! with Inspiring!

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

I know this is going to sound very libertarian of me, but it's not as if this doctor refused to provide emergency care.  She even made arrangements so that the baby would still be seen by a doctor at the appointed time.  The idea that people who choose to provide services should have no ability to decide who to serve is a rather illiberal one. It was a bigoted and stupid decision on her part, but unless it rises to the point of preventing people from having any access to a needed service, I don't think government should be interfering in this particular form of idiocy.

Yeah, I agree. She's clearly an awful person, but at least she showed the basic human decency to make sure the baby was cared for by someone who wasn't a bigot. I don't think it should be actionable.

[Lief 🗽]

Sounds like a ClickHole article, only replace Religious Freedom! with Inspiring!

Yes, I forgot to say, I'm a real big fan of the work MM has done with this thread's title. Real big fan.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I know this is going to sound very libertarian of me, but it's not as if this doctor refused to provide emergency care.  She even made arrangements so that the baby would still be seen by a doctor at the appointed time.  The idea that people who choose to provide services should have no ability to decide who to serve is a rather illiberal one. It was a bigoted and stupid decision on her part, but unless it rises to the point of preventing people from having any access to a needed service, I don't think government should be interfering in this particular form of idiocy.

Yeah, I agree. She's clearly an awful person, but at least she showed the basic human decency to make sure the baby was cared for by someone who wasn't a bigot. I don't think it should be actionable.

What if another doctor hadn't been available. Her religious "beliefs" still would have dictated that she not treat the baby.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

I know this is going to sound very libertarian of me, but it's not as if this doctor refused to provide emergency care.  She even made arrangements so that the baby would still be seen by a doctor at the appointed time.  The idea that people who choose to provide services should have no ability to decide who to serve is a rather illiberal one. It was a bigoted and stupid decision on her part, but unless it rises to the point of preventing people from having any access to a needed service, I don't think government should be interfering in this particular form of idiocy.

Yeah, I agree. She's clearly an awful person, but at least she showed the basic human decency to make sure the baby was cared for by someone who wasn't a bigot. I don't think it should be actionable.

What if another doctor hadn't been available. Her religious "beliefs" still would have dictated that she not treat the baby.

If she let her religious obligations keep her from treating a baby when no one else was available, that would violate the Hippocratic Oath and she should lose her license. It's hypothetical, though.

The fact that she arranged another doctor is the deciding factor for me. She didn't abandon her responsibilities, she passed them on.

[King]

Imagine if a Muslim or Hindu doctor refused to treat a Christian's child. Huge

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Imagine if a Muslim or Hindu doctor refused to treat a Christian's child. Huge

I'm getting visions of Fox News' coverage of such an event.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Violates the doctors oath, but yes, bigotry is a sad side effect that comes with all the good associated with freedom of religion. I'm sure an actually decent human being (and doctor) will step up and help this couple.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Disgusting. Hopefully there is some way to sanction this behavior.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Disgusting. Hopefully there is some way to sanction this behavior.

Yes, how dare people think differently than you!  Obviously beliefs must be criminalized!

[Hatman 🍁]

Imagine the uproar had the child been discriminated against because it was Black... or a ginger.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Imagine the uproar had the child been discriminated against because it was Black... or a ginger.

Black yes, but who cares about the damn gingers? More seriously, I hope there is an uproar and that the doctor loses business as a result.

[Deus Naturae]

And? The baby was just cared for by another doctor. The woman is dumb but really what does it matter?

[MaxQue]

Disgusting. Hopefully there is some way to sanction this behavior.

Yes, how dare people think differently than you!  Obviously beliefs must be criminalized!

Those are regulated professions, and, usually, the internal rules forbid them to discriminate patients.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Disgusting. Hopefully there is some way to sanction this behavior.

Yes, how dare people think differently than you!  Obviously beliefs must be criminalized!

Those are regulated professions, and, usually, the internal rules forbid them to discriminate patients.

If those beliefs had led to the action of the baby not getting needed care, I'd agree with you that official sanction would be warranted.  But that isn't what happened.