Bush Allows Religion to Block Your Health Care

It would have been nice for George W. Bush to just fade away, like a bad memory. January 20, 2009 is not that far away. But no. He had to stick his big fat 'Christian' religious nose where it doesn't belong before he and his ilk creep away from Washington, D.C. Maybe he's a frustrated proctologist wannabe. That would explain a lot.

On December 18, 2008, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued a chilling statement entitled "HHS ISSUES FINAL REGULATION TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS FROM DISCRIMINATION."

Here is part of that statement: "In the preamble to the final regulation, the Department also encourages providers to engage their patients early on in “full, open, and honest conversations” to disclose what services they do and do not provide. While it would strengthen provider conscience rights, the regulation would in no way restrict health care providers from performing any legal service or procedure. If a procedure is legal, a patient will still have the ability to access that service from a medical professional or institution that offers it. For example, the regulation does not affect the ability of medical institutions to provide abortion services in accordance with the law."

Examples of how this regulation could allow health care providers to refuse treatments abound. Abortions, anti-AIDS drugs, day-after contraceptive pills might all fall outside belief-systems of certain doctors, nurses, or pharmacists. Here's another example:

Let's say you're driving through a county whose hospitals are staffed mainly by doctors who are Jehovah's Witnesses. Let's say you have an accident that requires a blood transfusion. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions. So be prepared, if you are conscious that is, and if not, your next of kin if they can be reached in time, to be engaged by your health care providers in “full, open, and honest conversations” to disclose what services they do and do not provide."

I can hear it now. "Hello patient X. I'm your 'Doctor'. Your suffering and imminent death can be prevented by a blood transfusion, but... well, you know how it is, gosh darn it, the God I worship (the only REAL one, of course) doesn't permit such foul degradations of the human body. But don't think we're totally without compassion. We've alerted the local cab company, and within about 30-90 minutes or so, the driver will take you to any heathen hospital you want. Your body may recover, but your soul, alas, will perish. What was that? You don't know of any hospital that does blood transfusions in the area? Do we know? Why of course we do. But our conscience simply will not permit us to tell you. Perhaps the taxi driver will know. Have a nice day. And may the God I worship (the only REAL one, of course) have mercy on your soon to perish soul."

Good bye, Dubya. And good riddance.