Out-of-the-Ark stuff
Nelson GP Dr Joseph Hassan, a 40-year-old married father of four, wrote to the 50 patients a fortnight ago telling them he would no longer prescribe contraceptives or refer women for sterilisation.
The letter, which listed doctors who would provide the services, told patients their fertility was a gift to be looked after and not something to be treated with medication like a disease.
"I have done this in response to a personal journey," he told the Herald. " ... I have been praying about God's direction on this in my life. Over the last few weeks, in various ways, I have felt this is the direction I should take."
Dr Hassan, who also opposes abortion and has set up a crisis support programme as an alternative, said he had long been troubled by the conflict between the Church's teaching on contraception and his medical practice. He said other doctors would prescribe contraception and his move would not increase the teen pregnancy rate, which was due to other factors, "not just a lack of contraception".
New Zealand has the third-highest teenage pregnancy rate in the developed world. In 2002, 3 per cent of female teenagers aged between 15 and 19 became pregnant.
Ms Williams said she was surprised by Dr Hassan's move. "It's really out-of-the-Ark stuff these days."
Dr Hassan said he knew of at least five other Catholic GPs who had had "a similar kind of journey to me". [Source]
"It's really out-of-the-Ark stuff these days." I guess she would prefer a flood of contraceptives to reduce humanity.
Known as 
The article states: "A women's health lobbyist [Ms. Williams] fears that Catholic doctors' refusal to prescribe contraceptive pills risks pushing the nation's already high teenage pregnancy rate even higher." But Dr. Hassan provided a list of alternative doctors, so why the fear? If Ms. Williams' philosophy is the correct one, then those doctors will get a boat load (no pun intended) of business and the Catholic doctors will be out of business. Correct?
I was grateful to have an openly pro-life obstetrician, personally. I was assurred he believed in protecting my babies from the moment I conceived them rather than only getting serious about them when the became viable.
"It's very much an opportunistic thing. You've got to seize the moment, not make them go off and make another appointment somewhere. Teenagers are very 'now' people."
There, in a nutshell, you see the mentality that leads to all those teen pregnancies and abortions.
"Ask them to wait until marriage? Are you out of your mind! Why, it's unreasonable even to expect them to wait until they can make another doctor's appointment! We can't expect teens to defer gratification, not even for a couple of days! They're 'now' people!"
My OB/GYN is also Catholic and does not prescribe contraceptives. She gives regular talks on NFP at the hospital I work at. Her practice doesn't seem to be hurting.
My dad's a convert to the Faith and an NFP only doctor. He had to completely transform the way he practiced medicine when he entered the Church. He's definitely one of the biggest influences in my life as a witness to the universal sanctity of human life.
For people who are looking for a resource to find NFP only doctors check out www.omsoul.com . They list doctors who have willingly listed themselves as Natural Family Planning-only physicians. They have lists for both Canada and the US.
I guess she would prefer a flood of contraceptives to reduce humanity.
Absolutely! They really are pro-death; abortion, contraception, ESCR, euthanasia, you name it. If there's an option that maximizes deaths or demeans human dignity they'll go for it. (Only exceptions: those convicted of serious crimes, and avowed enemies seeking our destruction.)
They may deny being pro-death, but as a theory, it's very useful for predicting their behavior.
This news item as been the focus all day on talk-back national radio in New Zealand. Almost everyone has condemned the doctor. The talk-show host's main argument is that a doctor should leave his private, religious morality and beliefs at home and not impose them on his patients.
Others complain that if his practice is in a rural area he will be preventing non-Catholics access to the pill.
It is great that a NZ doctor has such courage in the face of a very dominant secular culture here in NZ. NZ follows, very closely, Canadian and Scandinavian models of "inclusive" legislation.
We are not going to hear the end of this debate here. Pressure will be placed by women's groups on a very strong Labour and feminist-driven government to have this doctor barred.
It will be interesting to see how much support he really does get from the bishops of the Catholic Church here and from Catholic doctors in NZ.
God bless Dr. Hassan!!!
Oh my goodness.and I LIVE in NZ....
If Dr Hassan feels unable to provide the full range of GP services, then it is time he gave up his practice and found a job he is able to do. At least coming out into the open like this has explained for me why I find it impossible to discuss anything personal at all with the man. And he is such a hypocrite as he waves aside my own spiritual beliefs as irrelevancies while pushing his own views of reality down his patients throats. And what will be next if this trend continues? A Jehovahs Witness doctor in A+E who denies critically ill patients blood transfusions? I for one will be leaving Dr Hassans practice ASAP despite the fact that I am not one of the 50 patients denied normal health services.