RULING: Doctors Can Refuse Patients Based On ‘Religious Freedom’ (VIDEO)

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor issued a strange ruling at the end of 2016. This ruling allows doctors to discriminate against patients who are transgender and women who have had abortions. I guess he thinks those exact things are particularly evil. O’Connor says that the “religious freedom” of doctors are being violated by not allowing them to discriminate.

He cited the 2014 Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision, which allowed family-owned businesses to refuse to provide birth control to their employees.

O’Connor said that the non-discrimination laws force doctors to:

“… To remove the categorical exclusion of transitions and abortions (a condition they assert is a reflection of their religious beliefs and an exercise of their religion) and conduct an individualized assessment of every request for those procedures.”

This ruling will decrease options for women trying to exercise their reproductive rights and for transgender people trying to become the gender they identify with.

This is fueling the transphobic fire and the rage against women’s rights. Doctors take an oath to help people. This includes everyone. Of course, doctors do turn patients away for other reasons. They may say things like, “Get vaccinated or you can’t be my patient.” They may also fire a patient for not paying.

Refusing to treat someone because of who they are is just wrong. Refusing to treat a woman because of her health history is also wrong.

As Slate reports:

“This system would completely upend medical practice in the United States, legalizing prejudice-based refusal of service and placing the burden on patients to find a doctor and insurance company who will provide the treatment they need. There is no clear limit to the damage that O’Connor’s ruling could do. It appears that in our post–Hobby Lobby world, patients who draw ire from conservative Christians must get used to being deprived of insurance and denied medical treatment solely on account of their identities.”

This could pave the way for even more discrimination. Will this allow doctors to turn away non-religious patients? If a doctor can turn down a transgender patient, then could they turn down a gay patient? Where does it end?

Featured image by Subconsci Productions via Flickr/CC-SA-2.0.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com