California's highest court has ruled that doctors in the US state cannot discriminate against gay patients on the basis of religious belief.
The decision was made after two Christian doctors refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian undergoing fertility treatment.
Guadalupe Benitez, 36, changed doctors and has since had three children.
She sued the North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in 2001, arguing that doctors were subject to law banning businesses from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.
"It was an awful thing to go through," Ms Benitez was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
- Get Religion
- LA Times dismisses religious freedom
- You may have read read that the California State Supreme Court ruled that religious doctors cannot refuse to inseminate lesbian women artificially on religious grounds. The decision came down yesterday and has generated quite a bit of buzz.
- You may have read read that the California State Supreme Court ruled that religious doctors cannot refuse to inseminate lesbian women artificially on religious grounds. The decision came down yesterday and has generated quite a bit of buzz.
- Restore God's Word to America
- Religious Rights?
- According to court documents, the doctors claimed their religious convictions prohibited them from using intrauterine insemination (IUI) on any unmarried woman, regardless of sexual orientation.
The court, however, agreed with the lesbian couple that Dr. Douglas Fenton and Dr. Christine Brody had refused the treatment because of the lesbian couple's homosexuality and ruled that in doing so, the doctors violated California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. Some lauded the decision as a victory for civil rights, while others lamented it as a loss of basic constitutional freedoms. Justice Joyce Kennard, who wrote the court's decision, said the Unruh Civil Rights Act "furthers California's compelling interest in ensuring full and equal access to medical treatment irrespective of sexual orientation."
But Karen England, executive director for Capitol Resource Institute, a California family policy advocacy group, said in a statement, "The California Supreme Court's decision proves that these activist judges are willing to deny our First Amendment religious freedom in order to create rights for homosexuals."
- According to court documents, the doctors claimed their religious convictions prohibited them from using intrauterine insemination (IUI) on any unmarried woman, regardless of sexual orientation.
- Alliance Alert
- Cal . Supreme Court Rejects Doctors’ Rights of Conscience
- In North Coast etc. v. San Diego Super. Ct. S142892 (Cal. Aug. 18th, 2008), the California Supreme Court determined that the fundamental rights of religious freedom and free speech do not “exempt a medical clinic’s physicians from complying with the California Unruh Civil Rights Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation.” A couple salient quotations:
- In North Coast etc. v. San Diego Super. Ct. S142892 (Cal. Aug. 18th, 2008), the California Supreme Court determined that the fundamental rights of religious freedom and free speech do not “exempt a medical clinic’s physicians from complying with the California Unruh Civil Rights Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation.” A couple salient quotations:
- Pacific Justice Institute
- Cal. Supreme Court Rejects Doctors' Rights of Conscience
- In a major decision likely to re-draw the battle lines of the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court today ruled against two doctors who declined to artificially inseminate a lesbian.
- In a major decision likely to re-draw the battle lines of the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court today ruled against two doctors who declined to artificially inseminate a lesbian.
- Stop The ACLU
- Forget your religious beliefs. We’ve got an agenda to push!
- Or so the California Supreme Court seems to be saying with their latest ruling. A lesbian went to a fertility specialist to try to get pregnant. The two Christian doctors treated her with fertility drugs, and told her how to artificially inseminate herself at home. They told her that inseminating her themselves would violate their religious beliefs. So, they referred her to another doctor, who inseminated her, and she now has three children. Happy ending, right? Nope. According to the woman, this was discrimination (of course). And the Supreme Court agreed. Shocka.
- Or so the California Supreme Court seems to be saying with their latest ruling. A lesbian went to a fertility specialist to try to get pregnant. The two Christian doctors treated her with fertility drugs, and told her how to artificially inseminate herself at home. They told her that inseminating her themselves would violate their religious beliefs. So, they referred her to another doctor, who inseminated her, and she now has three children. Happy ending, right? Nope. According to the woman, this was discrimination (of course). And the Supreme Court agreed. Shocka.
- Mere Comments
- California Court to Christian Doctors: You Must Violate Your Conscience
- Another sign of the Big One in California, that is, the moral fault line that is dividing this country increasingly, only this has been a slow earthquake, going on for years, so slow at times that many Christians think that they can just live with it and not consider the consequences. If you think that judicial appointments aren't all that important, let's talk about it, in prison, perhaps?
- Another sign of the Big One in California, that is, the moral fault line that is dividing this country increasingly, only this has been a slow earthquake, going on for years, so slow at times that many Christians think that they can just live with it and not consider the consequences. If you think that judicial appointments aren't all that important, let's talk about it, in prison, perhaps?
- Americans United For Life
- Case Status Update: California Supreme Court Rules That Physicians Must Provide Elective Treatments In Any Situation
- In a disturbing unanimous opinion today, the California Supreme Court ruled that patient demand for nonessential, elective care trumps the freedom of conscience of physicians and their ability to practice medicine in accordance with their religious beliefs.
- In a disturbing unanimous opinion today, the California Supreme Court ruled that patient demand for nonessential, elective care trumps the freedom of conscience of physicians and their ability to practice medicine in accordance with their religious beliefs.
- American Phoenix
- California Supreme Court Obliterates Freedom of Religion
- The latest atrocity from the California Supreme Court, which seem to be occurring every few months now, is that medical doctors may not refuse to provide artificial reproductive technology (”ART”) to homosexuals. The two medical doctors in question claimed that they would not provide this service because a) the woman was unmarried and b) because her homosexuality would, inter alia, deprive the resulting child of a father. The physicians argued that to be compelled to perform ART in such cases was a violation of their right to free exercise of their religious beliefs under both the California and federal constitution.
- The latest atrocity from the California Supreme Court, which seem to be occurring every few months now, is that medical doctors may not refuse to provide artificial reproductive technology (”ART”) to homosexuals. The two medical doctors in question claimed that they would not provide this service because a) the woman was unmarried and b) because her homosexuality would, inter alia, deprive the resulting child of a father. The physicians argued that to be compelled to perform ART in such cases was a violation of their right to free exercise of their religious beliefs under both the California and federal constitution.
- Caroline County, VA JUSTICE
- Thought POLICE hard at work in California
- Christians not allowed to practice their belief. Lose their livelihood if they do!