Raising the bar on moral slavery

Wisconsin Governor Doyle has made slaves out of every medical worker in the State. He believes that the conscience of all Wisconsin citizens should be smothered until the Legislature is able to get a law past the Governor's desk or risk being fired or sued.


Doyle vetoed a bill passed by that State's Legislature which would have protected medical personnel - doctors, nurses, techs, and students - who had a conscientious objection to procedures. (See my October 17th note, "Governor has no conscience.")


The Governor objects to the use of conscience in medical care, research, and biotechnology. His position is that if a given act is legal, even when the act is new and goes against tradition, there should be no protection for those who object.In effect, the Governor's position is that when new techniques and procedures are developed, no matter what, participation is required until it is made illegal.


The new law would have expanded protection that already exists for those who do not wish to participate in abortions and and sterilization to include removal of feeding tubes, participation in the future activities of the stem cell bank in that State, and all future legal medical or biotech procedures.

It is perfectly legal in the Wisconsin to create human embryos for any purpose at all as long as the scientist has legal possession of the eggs and sperm he needs. In fact, only a handful of States have any laws concerning embryo research at all. There are no laws against cloning in the US.


The governor forgets that slavery was once legal in the US, and that the Supreme Court in the Dred Scot decision, made all citizens of the US responsible for returning slaves to their masters. I wonder if the Governor will be happy to be compared to Justice Taney or those who opposed the underground railway?