Should clinicians challenge faith-based institutional values conflicting with their own?

Abstract

Catholic health care organizations generally prohibit their employees from prescribing contraceptives for the purpose of birth control. This restriction might go against a clinician’s own beliefs and the explicit wishes of a patient. In this case, Dr. N is being asked by a patient, Ms. K, to code oral contraception as treatment for acne, a noncontraceptive benefit of birth control pills, although both parties know Ms. K’s primary desire is to prevent pregnancy. We examine the legal and moral arguments surrounding contraceptive provision in this case and offer guidance for how Dr. N and Ms. K might work to find a tenable solution.