A story circulating among religious news sites and blogs claims that the Eastern Michigan University dismissed student Julea Ward for her view of homosexuality as morally reprehensible. This would be newsworthy – if you don’t read beyond the headlines.

According to BeliefNet, Ward was not dismissed from the university, but rather from a counseling program when she refused to council a homosexual client, per university policy.

A similar story was published by CNN on Wednesday in which “An organization of Christian physicians argued […] against an impending rollback of a federal rule allowing health care workers to refuse to provide certain reproductive services, saying it’s discriminatory.”

Under the Bush-enacted “conscience clause“, “workers in health care settings — from doctors to janitors — can refuse to provide services, information or advice to patients on subjects such as contraception, family planning, blood transfusions and even vaccine counseling if they are morally against it.”

CNN goes on to report that Dr. David Stevens, head of the Christian Medical Association, “predicted that a large number of specialists in obstetrics and gynecology would leave the medical profession if the rule is repealed.”

I say: good riddance.

When professionals are allowed not to perform certain previously-known aspects of their jobs, it depreciates the value of labor for that profession. Doctors and mental health councilors are not expected, paid, or employed to act (or in this case, not act) on their religious beliefs. We pay them to perform the best medical care for our specific situation, whatever that medical care entails, and even if it does not align with whatever fantasy they happen to believe in.

Which world would you rather live in? One in which all physicians are required to perform all aspects of their professions? Or one in which physicians can refuse to perform a blood transfusion on your child just because it conflicts with their religion?

I don’t understand how allowing patients to suffer or even die is consciously preferable to performing a certain procedure, but then again I’m not a religious fundamentalist.