Non Pro-life Obgyn

[Anemone]

Hi all,

 

I rarely get on here but have a question I am needing some help with & advice from some orthodox Catholics.

My current OBGYN is a normal secular OB, and not exactly "pro-life" I say this because she prescribes birth control.  I have seen her for years and she knows me and my family.  She is respectful that I want to practice NFP yet she can help me little with it.   She delivered my first child and her level of care has been exceptional and honestly I love her personality etc.  And she is very close to my home.

 

As I began to see birth control more and more as an evil in and of itself and understand now how it can work too as an abortificant,  I am starting to have a big problem with the fact that she perscribes birth control to women.  I also wonder -- When she does pre-natal testing, and the tests come back that a baby has a deformity etc, what does she do? What does she do when one of her patients asks for an abortion? Does she refer them for one?  Does she even do it herself for them?  I really don't know the answer but I do wonder.

 

I am pregnant again and will need to see an OB.  There is one pro-life doctor in my general area.... But he is far away. But I am willing to make the drive. I am also leary about getting a new OB... when the process went so so smooth with my current OB and she knows me etc.  He also only delivers at the hospital in his city, so it would be a drive too when it came time to deliver... which makes me a little worried.

 

My question is this, am I participating in evil by seeing my current OB?  I have come to believe so... but several family members close to me don't think it is a big deal.  I value your Catholic opinion.
 

 

Edited April 11, 2013 by Anemone

[Maggyie]

No, you're not participating in evil. If women (or men) were bound under pain of sin to only see pro-life doctors, there would be a lot of women going untreated.

[Basilisa Marie]

I don't think it's evil for you to keep seeing your current OB, but if it eases your own conscience to go see the pro-life doctor, do that. I think this is one of those things that's up to your own personal discretion. It's not a sin to keep seeing her, because you're not seeing her because she's pro-choice, you're seeing her because she's a good doctor. :)   

 

Plus the fact that she prescribes birth control doesn't mean she is okay with all other kinds of pro-choice positions. Maybe she thinks that prescribing birth control when her patients ask for it is part of what she thinks her job is as a doctor. But like I said, even if she is super pro-choice, you're not seeing her because of that, but seeing her because she's a good doctor. 

[Guest Allie]

Hi all,

 

I rarely get on here but have a question I am needing some help with & advice from some orthodox Catholics.

My current OBGYN is a normal secular OB, and not exactly "pro-life" I say this because she prescribes birth control.  I have seen her for years and she knows me and my family.  She is respectful that I want to practice NFP yet she can help me little with it.   She delivered my first child and her level of care has been exceptional and honestly I love her personality etc.  And she is very close to my home.

ts

 

She sounds like a wonderful doctor.  Who knows, maybe your practice of faith, which she respects, is a witness to her.  Anyways, like the others said, no sin here.
 

[CrossCuT]

I dont understand why intelligent women who become OBGYNs dont look into NFP more. Its healthier, natural, and way awesomer.

It makes me sad that they toss out this one-pill-wonder on us all.

[beatitude]

You have a responsibility to care for yourself and for your unborn child. This means seeking the best help possible, and that's a pro-life decision in itself. If you have a supportive doctor who respects your faith and who assisted you positively in another pregnancy, why change her for a doctor who may not be as good? That could be detrimental to you and to the baby (especially if you have to travel a long way to deliver). Going to the pro-life doctor also wouldn't change anything about your current doctor's prescribing practice.

[Slappo]

I really think Catholic's can witness to the medical professionals by making pro life pro family decisions in the face things where secular people would often choose contraception, abortion, or immoral medical procedures.

 

We looked into alternative vaccines and brought some research to our pediatrician to discuss with her. Although I don't know that she has any problems with vaccines that come from replicated aboritve fetal cells, she was very thankful for our research and asked if she could have some of the paperwork to know more about it for other patients who might have similar views. I believe both having those firm pro family decisions as well as being great parents, kind people, etc is much more of a witness than walking out the door saying, "Sorry you do stuff for other patients that I don't like."

[Slappo]

Also, it's really bad to start making assumptions about what your doctor may or may not do such as "does she also do abortions?" when you have no sort of evidence to say that she does. She may be against abortion but in favor of contraception, or against abortion and personally against contraception but still sees it as a valid option for others. Just don't assume the worst, especially when dealing with someone you otherwise enjoy being served by!

[Anemone]

Thanks all.

Thanks for pointing out how I can be a whitness to her, I did not think of it that way.  Thanks.

 

Slappo I understand this -"  I believe both having those firm pro family decisions as well as being great parents, kind people, etc is much more of a witness than walking out the door saying, "Sorry you do stuff for other patients that I don't like."  "

 

I agree very much. But... we are talking about human life here. Birth control works as an abortificant when there is a fertilized egg, some studies are showing this happens 7-10 percent of the time.  The pill makes the new fertilized egg unable to implant (a chemical abortion)... So I totally understand what you are saying, but I think the gravity of this is great because we are talking about human life.  And she is distributing something to women that destroys human life.  Yes I do think that would be a viable reason to walk out the door and give my business somewhere else... personally.

 

But I do not think she sees it this way or thinks about this and maybe I could be a whitness to her as other posters have said. Maybe that would be even better than switching to a pro-life doctor.

 

Thanks all for your input and I will continue to discern over this.

 

 

 

 

[Slappo]

Would disagreeing with a businesses practices be a viable or legitimate reason to walk out the door and give business elsewhere? Certainly. I never said anything to the contrary. That doesn't mean it's the only choice or the best choice though.

 

If I decided I would only go grocery shopping at locations that did not sell condoms as it is remote cooperation in the distribution of contraception, then I think I might have to order all my food online... assuming I could find an online vendor that was not affiliated with contraception in any way. The moral practices of a business are not the only things that should be considered when selecting what vendors to procure services or goods from. It's certainly important to take into consideration though. Other things to consider would include how remote or material cooperation in those pratices would be by your support of the business, what level of service the business is providing, what alternative businesses could you procure from, what the price difference might be etc.

 

Example: a pro life doctor and a secular doctor work next door to each other (obviously distance isn't a factor).

• The pro life doctor, although he engages in no immoral medical practices, sucks. He's just a bad doctor. He doesnt' know much, doesn't provide the best of care etc etc.
• The secular doctor, although he prescribes birth control, provides excellent service, is extremely knowledgeable, and even costs less.

I'll be honest, there's no way I'd go to the pro-life doctor in that situation. The remote participation in the secular doctor's business is a smaller factor in my decision than my immediate health due to poor or negligent practice from the pro-life doctor. In addition, in my interactions with the secular doctor, denying contraception and explaining my reasons, discussing NFP, and my friendly attitude, may convert the secular doctor or at least get him thinking about things which could later in life open him up to graces of conversion.

[Basilisa Marie]

I think of it this way - if every pro-life person only saw pro-life doctors, pro-choice doctors would not only never see anyone who was pro-life, but become even more entrenched in their beliefs that being pro-choice was the norm and that pro-lifers are a weird fringe group.  But if a pro-choice doctor starts having more and more pro-life patients, he or she will inevitably see that pro-lifers aren't a crazy fringe group but intelligent, conscientious people who make careful decisions for good reasons. If pro-life people see pro-choice doctors, they force doctors to amend their practice to better serve them...thus forcing them to come into contact with research and methods and resources for pro-life people. It's a first step in the direction of becoming pro-life themselves, and I think it's a much stronger impact than simply taking your business elsewhere. Who knows? Conversion happens over a lifetime, and you might plant a seed that is watered by other pro-life people. :)