Another delay on the blog series about change, because… well… from the Department of What the Fresh Hell Now, comes today’s lovely update from our once beautiful seat of government in Washington.

It would seem that our dear leader has decided that if you’re a veteran—and either unmarried or a Democrat—your provider can now deny you care for that reason. Let that one marinate for a second.

This country has a far too extensive (and recent) history of letting people with quack beliefs operate in and around medicine. Let me explain.

Around 2016, it suddenly became “in vogue” for pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control or medications that could induce a spontaneous abortion. Not long after, some of those same upstanding moral gatekeepers began refusing to fill HIV medications and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The excuse? “Strongly held religious beliefs.” Or whatever other steaming pile of personal dogma they clung to.

And what did the state licensure boards do? Nothing. Silent as a fart in church. They were essentially allowed to discriminate by default.

Fast forward to today. Now, doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and any other provider in the VA system can also refuse care—if you’re, say, a Democrat. Or not married. Or just not to their liking. I want you to really hear that. Because if Joe Biden or Barack Obama had said, “Republicans don’t get healthcare,” the wailing and teeth-gnashing would echo all the way to fucking Moscow.

I said this back in a blog around 2018, and I’ll say it again: politics and religion have no place in medicine. None. Zip. Nada.

Regardless of your personal beliefs, if you are a medical provider, you are ethically—and legally—obligated to treat your patient. At bare minimum, you stabilize them so they don’t drop dead in your waiting room. There’s no wiggle room here. There is no “unless I don’t like them.”

I never sat down with my patients and said, “Let’s chat political philosophy before I check your vitals.” This isn’t how healthcare works. Or at least it shouldn’t.

This is a giant ocean of bullshit that keeps getting deeper, and honestly, I’m not sure there’s a lifeboat left. And here’s the real kicker—even if this is eventually ruled unconstitutional (and it will be), this administration has made a nasty little habit of ignoring rules it doesn’t like.

As a one-time provider and someone who currently receives VA healthcare, let me say this clearly: if you think it’s acceptable to follow this kind of directive, I seriously question why you went into medicine in the first place.

You don’t have to be a selfless saint who works for free—but if you’re denying care to people based on their politics, religion, or relationship status, you are violating the oath you took as a doctor, nurse practitioner, or PA.

Let’s flip the script: what if you needed care, and your doctor refused to treat you because you were a Republican? Or a Democrat? Or Pagan? Or atheist? Or queer? That’s not medicine—that’s fascism with a stethoscope.

I’m an Army combat veteran. I watched this whole nonsense parade under the guise of the Army’s 250th birthday and found it about as fascist as it gets. Let me be clear: I wanted to celebrate the Army, not the Commander-in-Chief. That’s true regardless of who holds the office—Trump, Biden, Obama, Clinton, or either of the Bushes. It’s unnecessary political theater, a waste of time, and a waste of money.

So, here’s the meat of it again: politics and socioeconomic status do not belong in medicine.

When you chose this profession, you took an oath. Do no harm. And refusing to treat someone based on personal beliefs or affiliations directly violates that oath.

Let me say it another way: denying care = doing harm.

If you’re more committed to a political agenda than the human agenda, then you shouldn’t be practicing medicine at all.

I could keep going, but honestly, the more I write, the madder I get. I left my profession for far less than what the current administration is encouraging. And I can promise you this: if I had ever refused care to a Republican? I’d have been out on my ass, and rightfully so.

I know folks in Washington don’t seem to have the capacity to do better, but for the rest of you, please—be the kind of person your dog and your mom would be proud of.