Kulesa R. Toward a Standard of Medical Care: Why Medical Professionals Can Refuse to Prescribe Puberty Blockers.
New Bioeth 2023;
29:139-155. [PMID:
36315442 DOI:
10.1080/20502877.2022.2137906]
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Abstract
That a standard of medical care must outline services that benefit the patient is relatively uncontroversial. However, one must determine how the practices outlined in a medical standard of care should benefit the patient. I will argue that practices outlined in a standard of medical care must not detract from the patient's well-functioning and that clinicians can refuse to provide services that do. This paper, therefore, will advance the following two claims: (1) a standard of medical care must not cause dysfunction, and (2) if a physician is medically rational to not provide some service which fails to meet the above condition (i.e. fails to be a standard of medical care), then she may refuse to do so. I then apply my thesis to the prescription of puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria.
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