HEALTH BRIEFING:DOCTORS SHOULD be allowed to object to any procedure that conflicts with their personal, moral or religious beliefs, according to survey of British medical students.
Nearly half of respondents believed in the right of doctors to conscientiously object and refuse to treat a patient who wanted an abortion, contraceptive services, or who was drunk or high on drugs, or who wanted an intimate examination and was of the opposite sex, the survey published in the Journal of Medical Ethicsfound.
More than two in five (45 per cent) of respondents said doctors should be entitled to object to any procedure for which they have a moral, cultural or religious disagreement.
However, almost the same number (40 per cent) disagreed. Three out of four Muslim students (76 per cent) said doctors should be entitled to object, as did more than half of the Jewish, Protestant and students describing their faith as “other” who were questioned.
When asked about 11 medical practices, including abortion at various stages in pregnancy and treating
patients who are drunk or high on drugs, those who raised objections said it was more likely to be for non-religious reasons.
One in five of those who objected said it was on religious grounds, while almost half were on non-religious grounds. Around one in three said it was a mixture of both.
Dr Sophie Strickland of King George Hospital in Essex, who carried out the research, said: “In light of increasing demand for abortions, these results may have implications for women’s access to abortion services in the future.” – (PA)