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BumRushDaShow

(156,529 posts)
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 09:36 AM Jun 16

'Extremely disturbing and unethical': new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans

Source: The Guardian

Mon 16 Jun 2025 06.00 EDT


Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump. The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers.

Medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment. But individual workers are now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law. Language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated.

Doctors and other medical staff can also be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity, documents reviewed by the Guardian show. The changes also affect chiropractors, certified nurse practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, licensed clinical social workers and speech therapists.

In making the changes, VA officials cite the president’s 30 January executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”. The primary purpose of the executive order was to strip most government protections from transgender people. The VA has since ceased providing most gender-affirming care and forbidden a long list of words, including “gender affirming” and “transgender”, from clinical settings. Medical experts said the implications of rule changes uncovered by the Guardian could be far-reaching.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/va-doctors-refuse-treat-patients

35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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'Extremely disturbing and unethical': new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Jun 16 OP
Evil evil evil UpInArms Jun 16 #1
UNCONSTITUTIONAL. !!!!!!!!! Trueblue1968 Jun 16 #28
What. The. Absolute... GB_RN Jun 16 #2
Any medical "professional," BlueKota Jun 16 #4
Seriously. GB_RN Jun 16 #18
I was planning to make a similar comment Blackjackdavey Jun 16 #33
Blatantly unconstitutional Docreed2003 Jun 16 #3
Sadly, we are no longer protected by the Constitution. BlueKota Jun 16 #5
What about the Hippocratic Oath? Marthe48 Jun 16 #9
Oh I completely agree Marthe48...it's disgusting all around Docreed2003 Jun 16 #17
More hypocritic than Hippocratic. BattleRow Jun 16 #20
First time that happens, there will be so many lawsuits that TACO and his henchmen will back down. Silent Type Jun 16 #6
Trump has been sued his entire life Miguelito Loveless Jun 16 #19
Dems need to draft and propose legislation that reverses this SpankMe Jun 16 #7
Only way to do this is The Grand Illuminist Jun 16 #8
i agree et tu Jun 16 #13
That's like the movie Bedazzled Marthe48 Jun 16 #23
Fuck him bdamomma Jun 16 #10
Doctors can be boycotted also - and it may be legal to boycott them publicly. The numbers boycotting them matter. SupportSanity Jun 16 #11
Right then. Report them to whichever school gave them their license and have it revoked sakabatou Jun 16 #12
the bible forbids azureblue Jun 16 #14
Despite the administration's despicable "rules," I doubt VA doctors would actually do that. surfered Jun 16 #15
Good God. Can no one in the administration read the equal protection clause? rsdsharp Jun 16 #16
They read the room, the one where the SCOTUS kisses their ass and allows constant law breaking Attilatheblond Jun 16 #22
People, wake UP! This is Step One in the coming policy that will likely make it OK to deny care to any/all Veterans Attilatheblond Jun 16 #21
I hate that evil, petty little nonhuman more every single day. MIButterfly Jun 16 #24
Looking at 1930s Germany, this is how it starts... Fil1957 Jun 16 #25
So can these doctors also refuse treatment to republicans and Maga? Bev54 Jun 16 #26
If all medical professionals refused treat the orange rapist, he'd be gone in five minutes. jls4561 Jun 16 #27
Uneffing believable William769 Jun 16 #29
About Bone Spurs mkp Jun 16 #30
That's just horrible 😔 TommieMommy Jun 16 #31
The best solution for most of the population, would be to draw-up a bill that says: Republicans shall not vote. chouchou Jun 16 #32
I am not trying to add misery to madness but Prairie_Seagull Jun 16 #34
And off to court he goes Lulu KC Jun 16 #35

GB_RN

(3,399 posts)
2. What. The. Absolute...
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 09:44 AM
Jun 16

F**k?!?!

Doctors take an oath upon graduation, and there’s nothing there about refusing care because the patient is an “other.” Hell, you can’t refuse medical care for wounded POWs.

I am flabbergasted. 😵‍💫

BlueKota

(4,375 posts)
4. Any medical "professional,"
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 09:57 AM
Jun 16

should have their medical license stripped away by their state's medical board, if they refuse to treat anyone.

GB_RN

(3,399 posts)
18. Seriously.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:18 AM
Jun 16

If…say…the worst pedophile was brought to my hospital with a heart attack, I couldn’t refuse to treat him. Personal feelings and politics have nothing to do with patient care.

Blackjackdavey

(225 posts)
33. I was planning to make a similar comment
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 12:52 PM
Jun 16

Any Licensed Social Worker (LCSW) will likely find themselves in hot water with their prospective licensing board for unethical behavior. OFC, they'll just start hiring unlicensed people but hey, why should veterans expect experienced help anyway I guess?

BlueKota

(4,375 posts)
5. Sadly, we are no longer protected by the Constitution.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 09:59 AM
Jun 16

Donny and the SC6 have for all intents and purposes ripped it up and burned the shreds.

Marthe48

(21,227 posts)
9. What about the Hippocratic Oath?
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 10:31 AM
Jun 16

The Ten Commandments?
The Sermon on the Mount?

Human decency?

Silent Type

(10,475 posts)
6. First time that happens, there will be so many lawsuits that TACO and his henchmen will back down.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 10:13 AM
Jun 16

Miguelito Loveless

(5,064 posts)
19. Trump has been sued his entire life
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:19 AM
Jun 16

and sues everybody who sues him.

None of this will deter him.

SpankMe

(3,527 posts)
7. Dems need to draft and propose legislation that reverses this
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 10:22 AM
Jun 16

I know it won't go anywhere since Repubs own the legislative branch. But it makes a statement of resistance and also has everything in writing so that when and if Dems have control again, they have the legislation drafted and ready to push through quickly.

The Grand Illuminist

(1,836 posts)
8. Only way to do this is
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 10:30 AM
Jun 16

to add political affiliation, ideology, and party to be protected classes for the civil rights act.

Marthe48

(21,227 posts)
23. That's like the movie Bedazzled
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:33 AM
Jun 16

Dudley Moore made a deal with Satan (Peter Cook) to win the love of a woman (Eleanor Bron) he adored. Try as he might, Moore couldn't get the language of the deal written without a loophole that Satan took advantage of. I think Moore had 7 chances to get the wording correct. Dark, funny movie.
Anyway, I get the feeling that no matter how the law is written, felon rapist will find a lawyer willing to twist the law into something obscene, or ignore it.

He's 79, and falling apart.

SupportSanity

(1,488 posts)
11. Doctors can be boycotted also - and it may be legal to boycott them publicly. The numbers boycotting them matter.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 10:38 AM
Jun 16

Maybe there should be a directory of providers who are denying service based on their prejudice to ____ insert prejudice here.

azureblue

(2,487 posts)
14. the bible forbids
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:07 AM
Jun 16

eating pork. So can I refuse to pay money to a bacon eater?
All this is, is using the government to force religious values on others.

Attilatheblond

(6,644 posts)
22. They read the room, the one where the SCOTUS kisses their ass and allows constant law breaking
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:24 AM
Jun 16

edited for typo

Attilatheblond

(6,644 posts)
21. People, wake UP! This is Step One in the coming policy that will likely make it OK to deny care to any/all Veterans
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:23 AM
Jun 16

Raise hell!

MIButterfly

(815 posts)
24. I hate that evil, petty little nonhuman more every single day.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 11:37 AM
Jun 16

Is there no low he won't stoop to? And to Hell with his followers and enablers too.

Disgusting. But I should expect no less from the likes of him.

mkp

(18 posts)
30. About Bone Spurs
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 12:27 PM
Jun 16

Personal Note: From me to you Stable GeniusDonald DON'T FUCK WITH OUR VA BENEFITS sir.
PS Your birthday parade party sucked!

chouchou

(2,131 posts)
32. The best solution for most of the population, would be to draw-up a bill that says: Republicans shall not vote.
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 12:38 PM
Jun 16

Hey...I can dream...

Prairie_Seagull

(4,285 posts)
34. I am not trying to add misery to madness but
Mon Jun 16, 2025, 01:52 PM
Jun 16

I think it is important to really understand what the Hippocratic Oath is and what it is not.

Read in it's entirety. The important stuff is down in this entry. IMO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath

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