He Had a Conscientious Objection to the Penis
My colleague Eric Feldman of Penn Law school tells me that when he was in Istanbul last week there was a story in the local paper about a nurse who said that his religious beliefs led him to refuse to help administer a testicular scan because he did not want to touch the patient's penis. Seems that there wasn't another available nurse, the scan was long delayed, and the patient died from testicular cancer. Ok all those in favor of respecting health care provider conscientious objection--weigh in please!- Arthur Caplan
Labels: conscientious objection, penis, Turkey
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OK, I'm in favor of respecting health care provider conscientious objections. That doesn't mean every time somebody cries "moral foul" we have to accept their protestations at face value. The principle of freedom of conscience is probably a bit more robust than this nurse's aversion to touching penises.
- by bob koepp on Jan 1, 2007 at 8:21 PM | link
Enough is enough. If I am a plumber, do I have to touch pipes? Last I heard the penis was a part of a patient...read total patient care as the professional responsibility of nurses.
- by Sheila on Jan 2, 2007 at 10:41 AM | link