Do doctors violate their oaths when they abort an unborn child?

Question

if the mother's health is not threatened by that child?

Answer 1

In the original oath, it reads:

To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.

Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion.

P.S. Of course, the new oath does not say it due to lib influence of political correctness.

Answer 2

This question belongs to the ethics section.

'yes' or 'no'

will depend upon [a] Whether the doctor is from a particular religious upbringing [b] Whether the country in which the doctor is practising protects the right of a woman to abort a foetus [c] The ethical standards that teh doctor sets for himself.

A note: In India, where I am writing this from, it is illegal for a doctor to disclose the 'sex' of a foetus , but abortion is legal.
The reason for the first law is to ensure that girl children are not aborted before birth, it's called female foeticide and is widely practised. That's defined by the givernment as unethical practice liable to punishment.
Abortion, however, is legal because of several compelling social, economic and demographic factors, too complicated to enter into in this small space. There is no penalty for abortion and services for safe abortion are widely advertised.
So in India, abortion would be ethical, sex determination at pregnancy is not.
Strange? But true.

Answer 3

No. The Hipporcratic Oath is no longer taken. Doctors trained today must be aware of these principles and swear to them:

The Principle of primacy of patient welfare. This principle
is based on a dedication to serving the interest of the
patient. Altruism contributes to the trust that is central
to the physician–patient relationship. Market forces, societal
pressures, and administrative exigencies must not
compromise this principle.
Principle of patient autonomy. Physicians must have
respect for patient autonomy. Physicians must be honest
with their patients and empower them to make informed
decisions about their treatment. Patients’ decisions
about their care must be paramount, as long as
those decisions are in keeping with ethical practice and
do not lead to demands for inappropriate care.
Principle of social justice. The medical profession must
promote justice in the health care system, including the
fair distribution of health care resources. Physicians should
work actively to eliminate discrimination in health care,
whether based on race, gender, socioeconomic status,
ethnicity, religion, or any other social category.

Answer 4

Wow! I agree and disagree with you.... a.) confident, incredibly females and men individuals ought to have equivalent and shared accountability for the care, help, and upbringing of a young person. There are regulations that address those subject concerns. b.) confident, I agree that youngsters, toddlers, young human beings ought to ALL study that life is helpful . c.) No, i don't think of colleges must be the source of that form of ethical preparation. dad and mom by making use of churches must be instilling those values of their own babies and putting a solid occasion. colleges have sufficient to do because it quite is and are not the "be all end all" for each social ill. There are not sufficient hours interior the day to teach a curriculum it quite is already jam packed and nonetheless have time left over for "parental" subject concerns. d.) confident, I do think of anybody needs to realize that there is extra to intercourse than merely actual gratification. e.) confident, I do have self assurance females and men individuals have a similar rights. which would be a double edged sword at circumstances yet I do have self assurance all men and all women individuals are equivalent.

Answer 5

Certainly, "First Do No Harm". If you have not seen the ugly truth about abortions (I mean actual footage of Abortions as they are performed), then I suggest that you see this with your own eyes. IT IS MURDER!! plain and simple, and in the most horrific way you can ever imagine.
Let me tell you a TRUTH: Fetal Tissues are valued and used world wide by every major Cosmetic Makeup companies. Bone marrow is used, everything. They don't just discard of the baby, It is worth alot of money. This is what it is truly all about and why it is a practice that is so hard to make illegal. I ask for every woman who purchases and wears makeup to watch these film footages and consider what they are putting on their lips and on their eyes and face. It is Hideous. Doctors who do abortions are not in it for the patient, they are Harvesting Fetus's for financial gains. Our D--mn Government knows this, yet they do nothing to stop it, it is SICK!!!

Answer 6

the question is when the doctors believe it is a life. Some believe it is a life at conception some at birth. If they dont believe it is a life until birth then in their eyes they havent violated their oathes. In my opinion however being a father of three yes they are violating their oaths.

Answer 7

Of course not.

It isn't an unborn child, no matter what the anti-choice mob says. It is an embryo.

It is the business of the mother, her conscience and her doctor, no one else.

It is especially NOT the business of politicians or televangelists, two groups of people who have shown countless times that they cannot be trusted to make ANY decision without screwing it up totally. If you need evidence, I refer you to the Terri Schiavo Affair.

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

Nope, not according to the Hippocratic Oath written in 1964 , way before Roe v. Wade and still in use today in most medical schools
Hippocratic Oath—Modern Version
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.


Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used in many medical schools today.

The Hippocratic Oath Today:
Some might interpret the part of the oath of not playing at god as their part they feel they might violate, however the part about taking into consideration the necessity to take a life, makes it moot.

Answer 10

Gee, I guess each doctor has to decide for him/herself. That would be, you know, choice.