Where to draw the line?

[loricatus]

I have just joined this forum an did this intial post the ‘Ask an Apologist’ section, without realizing I may not get an answer; so, I though I would post the same question here:
I am a Registered Nurse working pre-op and Recovery Room in a small Surgical Hospital that is owned by physicians. The main owners are Catholic, so they will not allow abortions at this facility; however, they do allow OB-GYN surgeries, which have included elective sterilization procedures (tubes tied, partial hysterectomies).

I recently have been trained in the pre-op area, where I have to obtain consent for the surgery and prepare the patient for the procedure (medications, vital signs, IV line…). Part of the consent includes detailing the procedure’s risks and benefits, along with detailing the diagnosis. When it comes to sterilization, the consent’s diagnosis will read "elective sterilization.’

I recently was assigned to pre op one of these procedures and refused to do the consent; although, I did do my other duties, as described earlier in this post. I felt that if I were to cooperate with obtaining the consent, I would be party to a procedure that I am opposed to, as part of my religious belief.

Now, in hindsight, should I have refused the entire pre op on this patient? If I do that, I will certainly be fired.

Or, was I correct in drawing the line at not obtaining the consent, but just doing the initial pre operative health questioning and vital signs, giving the standard pre operative medications and starting the patient’s IV line?

If I should not in ANY WAY be participating in GYN procedures that are against my belief, as part of my Catholic faith, I will look for another job and probably go back to Emergency Room Nursing. At least there, the only thing I EVER encountered, that was comparable to this, was refusing to administer a second dose of the morning after pill.

There have been an increasing number of OB-GYN procedures this facility and, I suspect, an increasing number of these type of procedures are to follow in the near future. Although the primary physician owners of this hospital are Catholic, they are not very religious and are very money motivated. Discussing my moral dilemma with management or administration would be fruitless. Besides, I live in the Bible Belt, where contraceptive practices are tolerated & there is no understanding of Catholic theology.

Thank you for your time & wishing you a Joyous Easter season.

 

[TLM08]

I have just joined this forum an did this intial post the ‘Ask an Apologist’ section, without realizing I may not get an answer; so, I though I would post the same question here:
I am a Registered Nurse working pre-op and Recovery Room in a small Surgical Hospital that is owned by physicians. The main owners are Catholic, so they will not allow abortions at this facility; however, they do allow OB-GYN surgeries, which have included elective sterilization procedures (tubes tied, partial hysterectomies).

I recently have been trained in the pre-op area, where I have to obtain consent for the surgery and prepare the patient for the procedure (medications, vital signs, IV line…). Part of the consent includes detailing the procedure’s risks and benefits, along with detailing the diagnosis. When it comes to sterilization, the consent’s diagnosis will read "elective sterilization.’

I recently was assigned to pre op one of these procedures and refused to do the consent; although, I did do my other duties, as described earlier in this post. I felt that if I were to cooperate with obtaining the consent, I would be party to a procedure that I am opposed to, as part of my religious belief.

Now, in hindsight, should I have refused the entire pre op on this patient? If I do that, I will certainly be fired.

Or, was I correct in drawing the line at not obtaining the consent, but just doing the initial pre operative health questioning and vital signs, giving the standard pre operative medications and starting the patient’s IV line?

If I should not in ANY WAY be participating in GYN procedures that are against my belief, as part of my Catholic faith, I will look for another job and probably go back to Emergency Room Nursing. At least there, the only thing I EVER encountered, that was comparable to this, was refusing to administer a second dose of the morning after pill.

There have been an increasing number of OB-GYN procedures this facility and, I suspect, an increasing number of these type of procedures are to follow in the near future. Although the primary physician owners of this hospital are Catholic, they are not very religious and are very money motivated. Discussing my moral dilemma with management or administration would be fruitless. Besides, I live in the Bible Belt, where contraceptive practices are tolerated & there is no understanding of Catholic theology.

Thank you for your time & wishing you a Joyous Easter season.

If your conscience is bothered by your work, speak with a priest that you feel at ease with. If you come to the decision that a change is needed then go ahead and start exploring other nursing opportunities. In the mean time, I wouldn’t even bother discussing this with your employer.

My personal feeling is that there are some people in this world that have no business reproducing and are doing society a tremendous a favor by undergoing elective sterilization.

 

[Jermosh]

If your conscience is bothered by your work, speak with a priest that you feel at ease with. If you come to the decision that a change is needed then go ahead and start exploring other nursing opportunities. In the mean time, I wouldn’t even bother discussing this with your employer.

My personal feeling is that there are some people in this world that have no business reproducing and are doing society a tremendous a favor by undergoing elective sterilization.

I agree with you.

 

[Spirithound]

If your conscience is bothered by your work, speak with a priest that you feel at ease with. If you come to the decision that a change is needed then go ahead and start exploring other nursing opportunities. In the mean time, I wouldn’t even bother discussing this with your employer.

Good advice

My personal feeling is that there are some people in this world that have no business reproducing and are doing society a tremendous a favor by undergoing elective sterilization.

Uncharitable addendum.

 

[Newbie2]

Ditto.

I guess it all falls down to a matter of your conscience. This is a protocol done for all patients undergoing surgery…and obtaining consent isn’t formal cooperation in the procedure.

Perhaps looking at it from a slightly different perspective, is this an opportunity to witness? Is there a specific protocol for what you say to the patient in order to make sure they understand that this is a permanent procedure, that they in so many words are possibly rejecting the gift that God has given them?

All it might is a veiled suggestion, or hint, or raised eybrow to give a patient pause for going ahead. Of course, management wouldn’t like that, and you’d also risk getting fired.



Perhaps in addition to speaking with your priest, consider a consultation with an attorney to see if you have any legal right to opt out of a job “requirement” that conflicts with your faith.

All the while, it’s a good idea to see if there are other employment opportunities available to you that don’t involve this conflict.

 

[StCsDavid]

The medical profession will likely be front lines of Catholic martyrdom over the next few years. While its unlikely anyone will be killed for their beliefs here, a devout Catholic will likely get fired with no protection from the civil law. Even though you believe that speaking with management over this would be fruitless, pray about whether you should address it with them anyway.

As to TLM08’s comment that some people are doing the world a favor by getting sterilized…well, never mind…if I say what I really want to say to him I’ll end up needing to go to confession and I doubt I could find a priest before the Easter Vigil this evening.