Physician's Conscience Clause

Over the last few weeks I have been following the discussions around the Obama Administrations efforts to disallow conscience clauses for physicians. The controversy is over a law in some states that allows a doctor to refuse to perform abortions due to religion or conscience. There has been a huge push from conservative organizations and others to flood the Department of Health and Human Services with protest letters during the time when they allow public comment on upcoming legislation that involves their department. My understanding is that they were bombarded with comments opposing any federal interference in the current laws on the states books. But democrats don't seem to care. They want a physician to be forced against his ethics and morals to perform abortions on demand for any reason.

Pro-abortion organizations are fighting the battle as well. Planned Parenthood has been apoplectic about the idea that some doctors may find it immoral to perform an abortion. They, along with NARAL, believe that all doctors have the "professional duty" to perform the procedure, regardless of their beliefs.

Historically, all doctors swear by the Hippocratic Oath upon their graduation from medical school. Although it isn't as uniform today as it was in the past, the oath says alot about the ethics of the physician, according to Hippocrates, the ancient physician and author of the oath. In the original, the rookie doctors, in part, swore that:

"I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone."

"I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a plessary (similar to a diaphram) to cause an abortion."

When a doctor treats a pregnant woman, he generally recognizes that he is now treating mother and child. I have to ask, how much more harm could they do then to stop the beating heart of either one of them?