NYT: Doctors who won't perform abortions don't need any more protections.

A friend sent me this link to a New York Times article here. The upshot of the article is that doctors (and other medical professionals) who oppose (and won't perform) abortion and contraception on moral grounds don't need any protection. Not too surprisingly, the Obama administration is in favor of forcing medical professionals to engage in these acts; sadly, the medical establishment (e.g., the AMA and its organs such as the New England Journal of Medicine, which is heavily pro-abortion) is in line with the Obama administration. This battle has been going on for years; it will heat up in the new year as the new Administration has stated that getting FOCA passed will be a priority. And how, you might ask, can a physician be forced into such things? Simple: medicine is the most highly regulated profession out there. Physicians can lose privileges for any number of reasons; hospitals can lose certification for any number of reasons. And, if that doesn't work, you just don't pay them (this may happen under the new administration anyway, but that is a separate topic). Some years back I saw an article in a Catholic bioethics journal arguing that the day may soon come when Catholic physicians and Catholic hospitals simply can't practice medicine. This is a distinct possibility. Perhaps we can all get a job at GM.

Remeber, American Catholics put the President-elect in power.

Sign the petition to stop FOCA!

Here is a link to the petition at Americans United for Life to stop FOCA (thanks to Children of God for Life for the link, which is now pasted on the sidebar).

Freedom of Choice Act

I will admit, I've been pretty discouraged about the current election. It's true, I am not a huge fan of John McCain. Many years ago, while going through the Naval Flight Surgeon training program down at Pensacola, we had a lecture from one of the long term Hanoi POW's from the Viet Nam war (this particular speaker is since deceased). One of the people who came up in his talk was Naval Aviator John McCain, a man whose story is pretty well known now. McCain was a true hero in those days, meaning one whose actions put him in danger of immediate damage or death, and he was an inspiration to his fellow prisoners. What happened to those most heroic and admirable traits once he became a politician I do not know (I am reminded of John Glenn, another man with admirable qualities in his youth which were shed in the interest of politics) but J. McC. is, for better or for worse, the Republican candidate. Whatever his shortcomings, though, I believe in my heart of hearts that John McCain believes in his heart of hearts that he is, in the final analysis, a man, nothing more.

I do not believe that's true of B. Hussein Obama. I believe that he believes that he is not just a man, but perhaps something more. Certainly great heaps and piles of his fawning disciples believe that. Make no mistake, a man who is both President and under the impression he is more than a mere man is a dangerous combination, especially when he has as compliant and radical a Congress as BHO is likely to have. Whether it will be as grim as Mr. Buchanan predicts predicts remains to be seen, but make no mistake, change we foolish Americans want, and change we shall get.

What affect us Catholics, though, in an immediate way, is the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). All the details are available at the USCCB website here. Read about it. I am appalled at the number of Catholics who are voting for BHO despite his oft repeated support for so many "causes" so strongly in direct opposition to settled Church teaching, but this reflects the sad times in which we find ourselves. Nevertheless, educate yourself, on this and all the other issues, before you pull the lever.