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To: wagglebee
To ask, one already has to have an appointment.

Even at the appointment, the doctor is in a hurry, so that might preclude an in-depth interview, although in my opinion if a doctor cannot answer "are you pro-life" with "yes", get rid of him.

I asked one doctor, "are you pro-life?", and he responded quickly, "I am a doctor. Of course I am pro-life". Well, that was good enough on the face of it, but one gets a feeling I should have elaborated. Many pro-aborts see nothing wrong in abortion as an artificial right, but themselves are pro-life in some sentimental sense. So are many politicians.

This is why I'd rather see a database, where the doctor is either listed or not.

I looked at Christian Medical and Dental Association Doctror Search. It is a good tool to narrow the search down. However, I have problems with it. If you drill down to "Issues" you find "Abortion" and the a lengthy write-up (ABORTION). Refreshingly, it contains this blanket statement at the top

"1 We oppose the practice of abortion and urge the active development and employment of alternatives".

2.The practice of abortion is contrary to:
◦The revealed, written Word of God.
◦Respect for the sanctity of human life.
◦Traditional, historical, and Judeo-Christian medical ethics.

Then one reads this:

"While we recognize the right of physicians and patients to follow the dictates of individual conscience before God, we affirm the final authority of Scripture, which teaches the sanctity of human life."

Then it is elaborated thusly:

There is, however, some variety of interpretation by conservative Christians of how this clear scriptural principle of the sanctity of life should be applied today. While most are close to the absolute stance of the Roman Catholic church, a few would not forbid abortion in all situations. For instance the positions taken by Jones and Almquist in CMDS Journal articles abstracted in this resource find some instances of abortion less problematic than others. Others believe strongly that abortion is always wrong for the Christian, but are unwilling to seek legislative or judicial measures which proscribe the procedure for the nation as a whole. Unfortunately, some who firmly believe that scripture absolutely forbids all abortion use the stance taken by others on abortion as a litmus test of orthodoxy.

In 1991, the CMDS Ethics Commission considered a recommendation to re-write the current statement on Abortion because scripture does not explicitly prohibit abortion as is suggested in item 2 (a). It was felt by some members that the current wording might cause non- Christians to question the credibility of the CMDS statement. After long discussion, and because of the difficulty reaching consensus on the original statement, it was decided to leave the statement intact.

So there you have it. The Roman Catholic position on abortion is mentioned among the possible interpretations, but they are explicit that it is not one necessarily adhered to; the reader, and presumably, the member, is free to put whatever meaning he gives to the "the revealed, written Word of God". That is, of course, the generic weakness of Protestant pro-life position which unlike the Catohlic position is not based on the natural law.

I could not find it said anywhere that the physicians in the search engine are listed if they wholly subscribe to "We oppose the practice of abortion". For all I know they may be simply doctors who say they are Christians, or because they pay dues. No criteria whatsoever are listed with the search engine. No technical definition of abortion is given in the write-up.

This association helps, but it does not eliminate the need for simple, black and white, not fee-based database of physicians who are unequivocally opposed to abortion in all forms, with a single exception being death of a baby as a side effect of saving the life of the mother (when it should not be called abortion to begin with).

14 posted on 07/02/2010 5:59:08 AM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: annalex
This association helps, but it does not eliminate the need for simple, black and white, not fee-based database of physicians who are unequivocally opposed to abortion in all forms, with a single exception being death of a baby as a side effect of saving the life of the mother (when it should not be called abortion to begin with).

I agree with what you are saying. It is necessary to pin this down because while many are anti-abortion, they are still not pro-life because they are all over the place on assisted suicide and euthanasia. I think the only way to be sure is to ask them directly.

15 posted on 07/02/2010 6:25:43 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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