Worth watching: Should You Opt Out of Patient Care That Offends Your Morals?

Art Caplan on regulations recently issued by President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that permit physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers to refuse to provide services to their patients if they have religious or personal reasons for a conscientious objection. Caplan’s take on this worrisome development is welcome and worthwhile, as usual. It’s especially troubling that Caplan mentions hearing of medical students and others expressing refusal to study vaccines (let alone participate in vaccination of patients). As Caplan points out, this policy risks putting the physician’s personal interest ahead of the patient’s.