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Article: Ethics corner: therapeutic abortion and patient referral
- Article from:
- Canadian Medical Association. Journal
- Article date:
- May 8, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Canadian Medical Association May 8, 2007. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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A recent CMAJ editorial about ensuring access to abortion (2006;175[1]:9) and a subsequent response by its authors to letters to the editor (2007;176 [4]:494) created some confusion about the CMA's position on access to therapeutic abortion.
The authors correctly pointed out that CMA policy states that: "A physician whose moral or religious beliefs prevent him or her from recommending or performing an abortion should inform the patient so that she may consult another physician."
However, CMA policy does not state, as the authors wrote, that "all physicians are under an obligation to refer."
Whether such an obligation exists when a physician is personally or morally opposed to a medical ...