When Health Care Providers Refuse: The Impact on Patients of Providers' Religious and Moral Objections to Give Medical Care, Information or Referrals

Those who support the right to refuse claim that refusals do not actually cause harm to patients. Advocates who oppose the right of providers to impede or delay patients’ access to needed medical care are often faced with the following question: can’t patients just go somewhere else? This question fails to recognize the variety of harms that come from refusals based on providers’ religious beliefs. Many do not realize that a health care worker’s refusal to provide services, information or referrals can have very serious emotional, physical and financial consequences for patients.

Document(s):

April2009RefusalFactsheet.pdf