The liberal women of The View on Thursday freaked out over a ruling by a federal judge that offers doctors religious freedom protections regarding transgender patients. After reading the Hippocratic Oath, an extremely agitated Whoopi Goldberg seemed to indicate that those who believe in God shouldn’t go into the medical field: “Don't be a doctor. If you believe that there's a higher power, you cannot take this oath.”
Mildly trying to represent the other side, co-host Joy Behar managed to slime religious Americans: “I think you have to understand the strength, the strong feelings that these extreme religious people have.”
Simplifying the issue, Goldberg brought in race: “You don't have the right to be a doctor and tell somebody you're not going to take care. They used to do that to black people. They used to say, ‘I'm not going to operate on you!’ What the hell is wrong with you?”
The co-host’s solution? “Go be a physician in a Christian church so you don't have to deal with people who have other lives.”
CBSNews.com explained Judge Reed O’Connor's ruling:
A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor granted a temporary injunction stopping federal health officials from enforcing rules that are intended to ban discrimination by doctors and hospitals against transgender persons.
O’Connor wrote in a 46-page ruling that the rules “likely violate” the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and “places substantial pressure on Plaintiffs to perform and cover transition and abortion procedures.”
A partial transcript is below:
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The View
1/5/17
11:16WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, a U.S. district judge claimed that doctors have religious freedom to refuse treat transgender patients and women who have had abortions in the past. It stems from a lawsuit by Texas lawmakers and several Christian medical associations. Now, you know, I that doesn't sound really Christian to me. Perhaps I'm wrong.
...
JOY BEHAR: To these particular doctors, religious trumps the law.
GOLDBERG: Then stop being a doctor. Because the Hippocratic Oath says — and I love it. This is not the whole one but it says — “I will respect the privacy of my patients for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Above all I must not play God. I will remember that I remain a member of society with all the obligations to all my fellow human beings. Those of sound mind and body as well as the infirmed. May I always act so to preserve the finest traditions of may calling. Long may I experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.” That's — when you're a doctor that's what you sign on to and you know what, you can go — go be a physician in a Christian church so you don't have to deal with people who have other lives who are making decisions who have nothing to you. You don't have the right to be a doctor and tell somebody you're not going to take care. They used to do that to black people. They used to say, “I’m not going to operate on you!” What the hell is wrong with you?
11:21GOLDBERG: I'm sorry, you took an oath as a doctor and if you're not going to follow that oath, give up your license. Because if you don't care of everybody, you should be taking care of nobody.
SUNNY HOSTIN: I will tell you, I —
BEHAR: I think you have to understand the strength, the strong feelings that these extreme religious people have.
GOLDBERG: Then don't be a doctor! Don't be in service. If you don't want to deal with regular people who have different opinions who are not coming to you because of your opinions.
BEHAR: I get that. I’m just being devil’s advocate.
GOLDBERG: Be devil’s advocate. I don’t care.
BEHAR: The devil’s advocate is saying there’s a higher power.
GOLDBERG: Then don’t be a doctor. If you believe that there’s a higher power, you cannot take this oath.
