And So It Begins...

Or so it continues on the same terrifying trajectory, depending on your perspective. The Washington Post reports this morning that several state legislatures are considering something code-termed "health workers' choice," which would allow health-care workers to refuse service based on their personal religious beliefs. No, this isn't just about pharmacists not wanting to dispense RU-486, or the morning after pill, or regular birth control pills, or condoms. Nor is it just about nurses who don't want to assist during abortions. It is, potentially, about doctors refusing to administer or inform their patients about any therapy derived from fetal tissues. It's about fertility specialists refusing to treat lesbians seeking artificial insemination. It's about PAs refusing to give information about AIDS prevention (except, of course, for almighty abstinence) to teenagers. It's about doctors refusing living wills and family wishes in end-of-life situations. It's about your dentist deciding to dump you rather than risk gay cooties crawling through his latex gloves. A quote from someone in favor:

"This goes to the core of what it means to be an American," said David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. "Conscience is the most sacred of all property. Doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care workers should not be forced to violate their consciences."

A quote from me in response: The first, most sacred responsibility of any health care worker is to provide the treatment required by another human being in need, regardless of that person's gender, ethnicity, wealth, or personal belief system. Their basic humanity is the only qualifying condition, and the only question of conscience is whether you will provide the care they need or not. Your homeboy Jesus was notorious for caring for people whose practices and beliefs differed from his own. He only saw the humanity and the need, not the petty differences that might exempt him from doing the right thing.