Conscientious Objection: Morality and Religion in Medicine

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD and Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Julie Cantor, MD, JD Friends and family of Dr. George Tiller recently laid the prominent abortion physician to rest, after he was shot and killed while serving as usher during a Sunday church service in Wichita, Kansas. Authorities have charged a man with murder in the case, but Dr. Tiller's death has sparked a fresh debate about the role of physicians and other health care providers in abortion cases, as well as other areas of medicine where moral and religious convictions may overlap with our duty to the health and well-being of our patients. One aspect of this debate revolves around efforts from the administration of President George W. Bush to bolster federal conscience protection statutes for health care providers, regulations which were implemented by the department of Health and Human Services in the final weeks of his time in the White House. The Obama administration began the process of determining whether to rescind the regulations. For more insight into the legal wrangling over this issue, hosts Dr. Michael Greenberg and Dr. Larry Kaskel welcome Dr. Julie Cantor, adjunct professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Kaskel and Dr. Greenberg will also delve into concerns about health insurance adminstration, sharing …