General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should hospitals be allowed to turn away patients based on race, creed, suspected gayness... [View all]Caliman73
(11,738 posts)I don't think that hospitals should turn anyone away, ever. Hospitals are there to take care of people in emergencies, period. It doesn't matter whether you got shot, or shot yourself, on purpose or by negligence. It doesn't matter if you are a cop, or a cop killer. Hospitals exist to treat people who need medical attention.
That being said, you cannot treat distinctions of skin, color, sex and gender, sexual orientation... etc... the same as behavior. If you come into the hospital suffering from a highly infectious disease, you are isolated from others. If you are disruptive and aggressive, you may be restrained or even turned away if staff cannot subdue you. Choosing to be vaccinated or not, is a choice for most people. There are those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, which is not a choice. I do not think that they should be turned away. They are in genuine medical emergency, just like the hand glider enthusiast or parachutist who breaks their legs in an accident. All three engaged in willful risky behavior, or the gang member who gets shot by a rival gang. We should not pick and choose who lives or dies.
It doesn't have anything to do with the person's status. It has to do with duty to treat the sick and injured.
By the way, people are already discriminated against with regards to being transgender or people seeking abortion care. They are regularly discriminated against by private, religiously affiliated hospitals.