Go Ask Me Bollix

From TIME magazine (September 8th, 2008 issue):

Washington Objecting To Abortion

The Bush Administration announced a new regulation that would allow doctors to deny medical services on the basis of their religious or moral beliefs, overriding current state laws that require health-care workers to aid patients or refer them elsewhere. Opponents say the rule, which applies to 584,000 hospitals and clinics, could block patient access to everything from birth control to abortions to end-of-life care. The rule could go into effect after a 30-day comment period.

It gets better though… the Washington Post adds:

The rule empowers federal health officials to pull funding from more than 584,000 hospitals, clinics, health plans, doctors’ offices and other entities if they do not accommodate employees who refuse to participate in care they find objectionable…

While I am somewhat disappointed at myself for marvelling at the sheer redneckedness of Gee Whiz Bush,  I can’t help wondering if this fucking loon has ever heard of the Hippocratic Oath? Pretty imaginative policy making though… next step Eugenics?

I hope Mary Harney gets to read this… might be just the ticket for Ireland’s cash strapped Health Department. Here’s a few practical steps that medical professionals could adopt under the guise of religious or moral beliefs:

• Catholics refusing to treat protestants;
• Blacks refusing to treat whites;
• Straights refusing to treat queers;
• Men refusing to treat women;

My thinking: If we have a health system that uniformly treats everyone like shite, then why not allow medical professionals to refuse to treat as they see fit? Of course to avoid any accusations of discrimination we would have to make sure that there are legitimate moral or religious reasons for doing so, but as experience in Ireland teaches us, we can just make that up as we go along.

At least then half of the population might get some decent treatment rather than the whole population getting half-treated.

Dickhead

Pronunciation: \ˈdik-ˌhed\
Function: noun
Etymology: dick (penis) + head
Date: 1964

usually vulgar: a stupid or contemptible person

‘Nuff said!

Downfall Part V (of the Lisbon Treaty)

Prize of a pint for last one left in the bath