Why Catholic's can NOT be doctors or pharmacists

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The only thing I have to add to all the other great posts is this: If only non-Catholics can be doctors, then who would Catholics be allowed to see who would uphold their religious rights to not be given contraceptives? I do know that there are Protestant doctors out there who prescribe ABC but who do not push it on their patients (I see one because at the time there were no NFP only doctors in my area and as I’m not married it’s kind of a moot point) but it sure is nice to have the option to see a doctor whose belief structure is the same as yours – especially in my case, if I needed a second opinion about issues, I would have the option of making an appointment with a doctor with my belief structure to ensure I had all the facts.

As far as pharmacists go, I don’t know how that affects their jobs as I would think they have to dispense prescriptions as written by the doctor BUT they can choose to work for Catholic institutions that follow their same beliefs (and other religious institutions that have beliefs similar to the Catholic faith).
 
I’m a pharmacist. I don’t dispense abortifacients or OC’s or MAP’s.

And I’m Catholic.

Closing thread.

;)😃
 
We NEED good Catholic doctors and pharmacists.

As pretty much everyone else has said, there are doctors and pharmacists who remain faithful to the church. The U.S. law does not require medical professionals to prescribe contraceptives, and your assumption most certainly is wrong. It’s really too bad that you switched your entire program because of it!
 
cargau said:
Maybe I’m naive, but doesn’ta doctor have the freedom to recommend a strategy for health. For example, if a patient had cancer, one physician may elect for chemo-therapy while another may choose surgery. No one is refusing care, they are simply recommending strategies that they believe best serves the patient’s needs.

Now, if a patient asks for a referral for an abortion, why can’t the physician say, I don’t recommend abortions to anyone. If that is your choice, you will need to find aniother doctor…

Seems reasonable to me.
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Seems quite reasonable to me, as well.
 
FullOfThought said:
Idon’t have a false assumption at all. Not one of those physicans can legally refuse to prescribe contraception or refuse to refer patients. Also, on their journeys to specialize they definately during residency have encountered these areas.

Just because they focus more on the NFP side and/or attend Church does not mean that they are exempt from the law.

I have spent years researching this, attended two medical schools and EACH and EVERY physican/dean/professor has made it perfectly clear that care can never be refused.
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Care does not need to be refused. There are alternate treatments for many conditions that today Drs recommend birth control pills or other immoral procedures for. One reason why they do is because it is often much quicker and simplier. It means they can see more patients and don’t have to go through the more complicated alternate treatments.

There are also many medical specialties that have nothing to do with reproductive health. No one asks their podiatrist or osteopath for an IUD or recommendation to a fertility specialist.

Catholics can be doctors, pharmists, nurses, medical technicians, and other healthcare providers. Catholics - both lay and religious - have been integral throughout the history of medicine and healthcare. Certainly become a chiropractor if you wish, but do not deny other Catholics the right to practice medicine!
 
I have not idea what the law is in the US and don’t want to spend time researching it. So from that point of view, I don’t care to comment.

However, it does not matter what profession you choose, there will ALWAYS be temptation to sin. I work in an office with what I consider to be innapropriate language, picutres posted everywhere and conversations that make the hair stand on the back of my neck. I don’t use the argument ‘I am Catholic and it is a sin for me to be here so government cut me a welfare check’. Instead I pray to God to do an honest days work and quietly stand up for my faith in a prudent way that will not get me fired nor make others feel judged. Judgement is up to God.

So, yes, in the medical field there probably is a lot of pressure to prescribe ABC, but there is also the freedom to work around it I am sure.

As for whether or not Catholics should be doctors… All Catholics should do God’s will and if that is where He is calling an individual, the person should follow

CM
 
maryjk said:
Well, there is a sign in my GYN’s office that states that she does not prescribe contraception and that she does not refer patients to doctors who do. 🤷

Maybe you live in a different country?
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There is a sign like that in my gynecologist’s office also and he is not even Catholic he is a Muslim but he is very prolife and respects the fact that I am a celibate female and will tell you upfront that if you came to get a perscription for the pill then you need not come to his office in fact he gave a seminar where he told all the bad stuff that the pill was responsible for and then he gave a seperate talk on the awful truth about the founder of planned parenthood. He said that although he did not agree theologically with the Catholic Church that he did stand with us on the prolife issue and that both the Islamic and catholic communities needed to stand together on the prolife issue.
 
FullOfThought said:
Idon’t have a false assumption at all. Not one of those physicans can legally refuse to prescribe contraception or refuse to refer patients. Also, on their journeys to specialize they definately during residency have encountered these areas.

Just because they focus more on the NFP side and/or attend Church does not mean that they are exempt from the law.

I have spent years researching this, attended two medical schools and EACH and EVERY physican/dean/professor has made it perfectly clear that care can never be refused.
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What you say may or may not be true of OB/GYNs depending on the laws of your state.

However, not all doctors are OB/GYNs. As Mrs Sally pointed out, there are many specialties where a doctor would never be asked to prescribe contraception, such as orthopedics, opthalmology, pathology, radiology, and geriatrics. (Heck, if you’re a pathologist or a radiologist, you probably won’t deal with patients at all!) If a doctor who’s not an OB/GYN is asked to prescribe contraception, s/he could simply say, “I’m not comfortable giving you a prescription for that without a Pap smear and a pelvic exam, and I’d prefer you go to your OB/GYN for those exams.” If the patient insists, tell them you don’t have the equipment necessary and haven’t done such an exam since medical school. I bet most will stop asking at that point. 😉

As for pharmacists, it’s a similar situation. When most people think of a pharmacist, they think of the person behind the counter at Walgreeen’s, but there are also pharmacists who work for hospitals, nursing homes, schools of pharmacy, drug companies, and nuclear pharmacists (they mix up the radioactive dyes for certain procedures). Most of these jobs have nothing to do with contraception. Many hospitals - even non-Catholic hospitals - do not stock birth control pills. There are too many different brands on the market, they aren’t all interchangeable, and so few hospitalized patients need them, it’s easier just to ask the patient to bring her own BCPs from home.
 
My FH’s father is a doctor (family care) and his younger brother is a pharmacist in the same building. There’s a sign just outside the front door that says “This is a Catholic medical center, and as such, we support the teachings of the Catholic church.” Next to the window in the pharmacy, there’s a little sign that says “This is a Catholic Pharmacy. We do not dispense birth control, “plan b”, or any other abortifacents.” Next to the check in window in the waiting room, there’s a sign that says “This is a Catholic doctor’s office. We do not perform OB/GYN care, however we will happily refer you to an OB/GYN who specializes in natural family planning.” There’s also a crucifix hanging prominently in every exam room. I think he gets the point across. 😃
 
Just because most doctors have prescribed contraceptives doesn’t mean they are required to do so. My family practice doctors do not prescribe contraceptives and I know of several other doctors that do not, as well as an LDS pharmacist who does not fill prescriptions for contraceptives. You really should research the laws a little better if you are going in to medicine.
 
I’m a nurse. I have been in situations, both as a student and as a registered nurse where I had to assist women preparing for abortions and where I had to dole out contraception.

You know what I did?

I said “No”.

As long as there are conscience clauses in abortion and contraceptive laws, you have every right to be a doctor/pharamist/whatever and no one can force you against your conscience to do something you know to be morally repugnant.

However, as a medical professional, you are are ethicially required to inform your professors/employer/patients that you do not dole out contraception et al. That does not mean you have to refer someone to someone who will. A simple “I’m sorry, I am unable to provide you with contraception/abortion/whatever, and am unable to refer you to anyone”.

If they don’t like that. Tough. Your right to object is protected by law - unless Obama has his way.

We need to have strong, solid Catholics in these medical professions.

I made it quite clear to one boss that I would put down my badge and walk out of the nursing profession if I was faced with assisting in abortion. My soul is more important that my job.

However, you are required to assist in emergency situations, ie. a woman comes in after having a botched abortion. If there is a living foetus, do what you can to save both patients, but if foetus dies that is not your fault. I view this in the same way as assisting a murderer or bank robber who’s been shot or something by the cops.
 
You CAN be in the medical field as a Catholic! In fact, we need more strong Catholic doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. Also, I do know of pharmacists that still dispense contraceptives because there are some licit, non-contraceptive, reasons for taking these drugs. The very Catholic pharmacist that I know (who also attended pharmacy school at a Catholic University) said that because she is not provided with the patient’s entire medical history she cannot make the assumption that they will be using this as a contraceptive. Therefore, she can dispense these drugs because the patient may be using it licitly. That being said, she does not work with Plan B, because that has no licit uses.

Check with the National Catholic Bioethics Center. They will provide some great insight into navigating science and medicine as a strong Catholic.
 
I am so glad I started this thread!!

I have not heard any of these stories… I have not found 1 Catholic doctor… and Physicians for Life told me that in America doctors can’t refuse to give contraception under the law!!

Does anybody know HOW these physicians manage this?

thank you thank you thank you!!!
 
FullOfThought said:
I am so glad I started this thread!!

I have not heard any of these stories… I have not found 1 Catholic doctor… and Physicians for Life told me that in America doctors can’t refuse to give contraception under the law!!

Does anybody know HOW these physicians manage this?

thank you thank you thank you!!!
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If I were you I’d call the Tepeyac Center tepeyacfamilycenter.com/ and ask to set up a phone appointment with one of the head administrators or doctors who can give you in-depth information about this. At the very least maybe they can point you to some other sources to help you navigate.
 
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