What does it mean for doctors? Click on "read more" to get the details on what compliance with the Directives could mean for your doctor.
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Here's some info:
Doctors are prohibited from performing, prescribing or even advising patients on the use of contraception or sterilization. The Directives permit only natural family planning, and this is limited to married couples.
Doctors are prohibited from performing or referring their patients for clinic trials or research where participation requires the use of a highly effective contraceptive.
Emergency room doctors may be prohibited from giving Emergency Contraception to women who have been sexually assaulted.
Because the Directives prohibit any use of contraceptives, doctors cannot counsel individuals with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases to use condoms or other barrier methods.
Women with ectopic pregnancies could not be treated with fallopian tube-sparing surgery or a non-surgical alternative, the drug methotrexate.
The Directives prohibit most infertility treatments and some methods of testing for infertility. Patients undergoing fertility-threatening medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, could not be counseled on methods to preserve their ability to have biological children, such as sperm-banking.
When a woman is having a miscarriage, some hospitals interpret the Directives to prohibit a uterine evacuation until there is no longer a fetal heartbeat, delaying lifesaving treatment and subjecting women to hemorrhaging and infection.
