This would also be true of lawyers and their clients. A doctor, a lawyer or any other professional should not be forced to act against their conscience, which could be based on either religious or philosophical convictions.

A professional’s obligations are not simply to the client/patient. There are obligations also to society at large and the common good.

For example, a patient may need an organ transplant, but a doctor would be forbidden to use a stolen organ or to unfairly prefer this patient to others in the queue. Nor could a doctor allow a quarantined person loose who might endanger the public. Likewise, doctors are required to report cases of violence (gun shot and knife wounds) and child abuse to the police even if the patient does not wish it.

Today, the ethical obligation that is most ignored is our obligation to the millions of Americans who do not have medical insurance. Happily, the AMA is supporting extension and expansion of SCHIP (the State Children's Health Insurance Program), which will take care of an additional four to five million low-income children. This is the medical profession being ethical and compassionate. Let’s pray that the White House follows their lead.