Dr. Jacques de Vos is allegedly facing professional misconduct charges due to the pro-life values he holds. In 2016, de Vos was serving an internship at a military hospital when he supposedly discouraged a patient from having an abortion, did not “remain objective” when it came to contraceptives, and spoke openly about his beliefs to colleagues. So far, the charges being pursued are related to attempting to dissuade a patient from seeking an abortion, and not respecting a woman’s autonomy. The other two charges are still being considered.
A member of Doctors for Life International, de Vos was suspended from practicing medicine after the completion of his internship, as a military hospital refused to sign off on it. A statement from Doctors for Life regarding the charges and the trial criticized the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) committee for acting in “bad faith.” The “excessive” and “unfair” actions of the committee mean that de Vos has not been able to practice medicine at all.
As he faces his trial, de Vos has received over R100,000 in crowdfunding from other pro-lifers to support his defense.
Unfortunately, discrimination against pro-life medical professionals is not uncommon. A nurse in Vermont was tricked by her colleagues into performing an abortion, despite her pro-life values. As news outlets such as VICE argue pro-lifers should be barred from working in the healthcare industry, other forms of hostility towards pro-lifers in the medical profession includes multiple cases where nurses were forced to participate in abortions, or lose their jobs.
