I never thought I would feel compelled to speak to my patients and colleagues about anything remotely political.
But for the first time in the thirty years I have been practicing obstetric gynecology in Miami-Dade, the decisions of politicians in Tallahassee have invaded my medical practice.
One of the advantages of being a physician is that we have a moral duty to treat all patients with the same dedication, regardless of the political, economic, or religious leanings of the patient we are treating. When we graduate and take the Hippocratic Oath, we acknowledge this.
I was raised in Catholic schools all my life, and learned from childhood to value the importance of Catholic teachings about “free will” as the ability to choose without being forced, and the use of one’s own conscience to guide our moral decisions.
These teachings tell us that each individual has the freedom to choose what to do based not only on faith, but also on moral and intellectual conclusions. In exercising our free will, we are called to follow the guidance of a well-formed conscience.