Can doctors withhold information about a pregnancy to avoid an abortion?
Posted by: CharliecdubsHere's a scenario; a doctor finds out the baby will have a severe birth defect and knows that the parents will have an abortion if they find out. The doctor is anti-abortion and does not want to tell the parents what will happen. Does the doctor have the right to not tell the parents? What do you think?
Yes he is saving a life
No, the parents have every right to know what their baby will be like
14%
3 votes
86%
18 votes
http://www.ama-assn.org//ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion8082.page
Most doctors won't without any information from their patients despite their personal opinions. They hold the hippocratic close to them in the practice of medicine; it's like a sacred text.
The question should be rephrased, "should..."
Can they, yes, legally they can. Ethnically, no they should not.
I don't believe that it is within the law to do that. One can decide not to tell the parents, just as one can decide to take someone else's life. That does not mean the law supports it.
what is wrong with you people
The Doctor has a professional occupation which requires them to be completely open with the people involved. He/she has no right to withhold information based on personal opinion.
That goes against the hippocratic
Quite obvious.
It is the doctor's job to tell the parents. He is not supposed to withhold information, otherwise he is to be fired. Besides, it is the woman's choice to have an abortion or not, not that doctor's.