Pro-Life Doctors Release Video: Pro-Abortion health Care Bill to Cause Shortage
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 6, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A group of pro-life doctors and a coalition of pro-life groups are challenging the American Medical Associations endorsement of the pro-abortion health care bill in the House. They say the bill not only pays for abortions with government funds but fails to offer full conscience protection.
The 16,000-member Christian Medical Association and Freedom2Care, an association of pro-life groups, have jointly released a new video describing the problems with HR 3962, the House health care bill, and the need for conscience protections for medical professions.
The video points out how doctors are not all supportive of a pro-abortion bill and it focuses on the link between patient access and the number of doctors who would leave their practices if a time came when they were forced to choose between violating their conscience or holding their job.
The video features an opening slide asking, "Why could government-run healthcare mean delay or denial of care for you?"
A dial tone followed by sounds of punching in a phone number followed by two rings is heard with a doctor’s voice saying, "Doctor’s office, please hold."
Alice Tsai M.D., a pro-life physician, comes on screen to alert viewers: "One of six patients are cared for in a Catholic hospital. Over 600 Catholic hospitals care for patients nationally, in the United States alone. Congress is considering healthcare bills now that could force compassionate, faith-based doctors out of practice."
The voice on the phone then tells the caller, "Please continuing holding. Someone will be with you shortly."
Tsai continues, "Personally I could not practice medicine in good conscience. This would not allow me to deliver the same sort of medical care I would give to my loved ones."
‘We are already facing a shortage of doctors and nurses in this country. 65 million people lack adequate access to primary care physicians and the problem is getting worse," the ad says as the caller continues holding. "Now Congress wants to weaken conscience laws protecting doctors who want to practice medicine according to deeply held moral beliefs."
Dr. Sandy Christiansen then appears on screen and says when "you walk into your practice you don’t suddenly check your conscience, what you believe to be right and wrong, at the door, so you bring that into the way you practice and that is actually of value to patients."
She says, "But if thousands of doctors quit because the lack of conscience protections, who will care for them?"
"If healthcare reform passes as it stands, millions of patients will flood the system," the ad warns. "But if thousands of doctors quit because the lack of conscience protections, who will care for them?"
The ad concludes: "Tell your elected officials that you cannot support any health reform plan if it does not include protection of a doctor’s right to practice medicine according to his/her conscience" and provides the group’s web site, http//www.Freedom2Care.org.
The Christian Medical Association has been warning of physicians and hospitals leaving the medical practice for some time if they are forced to do abortions or refer for them.
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