"After the operation, Carson explicitly asked the surgeon whether the mass removed had metastasized. He told her it had not. He saw before him not a scientist and a human being with agency asking him a question of life and death—he saw a woman and a patient, and he answered with a lie. Nothing had changed..."
PHIL 3345. Supporting the philosophical study of bioethics, bio-medical ethics, biotechnology, and the future of life, at Middle Tennessee State University and beyond... "Keep your health, your splendid health. It is better than all the truths under the firmament." William James
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Saturday, February 23, 2019
Carson's dishonest doc
I've been enjoying Maria Popova's Figuring, one of whose featured figures is Rachel Carson. Her doctor lied to her about her cancer.
In situations like this, it becomes clear that having a second opinion can literally be the difference between life and death. With as much trust as we place on doctors' shoulders, the fact that they very well may lie to us about our health is nothing short of unsettling.
ReplyDeleteDQ:
What kind of motives would a doctor have to lie to one of their patients?
Are there any instances where lying to the patient would benefit them, and/or be ethical?
While I certainly do not have the background or authority to say if lying to a patient in any way is ethical or not, I do believe that in certain situations it may be necessary in order to benefit the patient's health. For example, a patient comes with complaints that may indicate some sort of an issue, but after tests are completed, there seems to be nothing wrong with the patient. In a situation like this, the patient could possibly be a hypochondriac who only thinks there is a problem. In the case of this, one possible course of action is to lie to the patient, telling them you are prescribing a certain medication, but really give the patient a placebo in which the patient may get better due to him thinking he is taking medication for a nonexistent illness. Situations like this is why I think that sometimes lying to patients could be beneficial towards the patient's health whether it is ethical or not.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, but in the hypochondria scenario the lie is different: it lacks the explicitly sexist component involved in the doc's decision to spare a "fragile woman" from the truth. Yet it's still a lie, based on the doc's judgment that he's entitled by his professional status to deceive his patient in his/her own best interests. Truth should be the presumptive default, with a very high bar to override the doc's responsibility to deal honestly with anyone in his care.
ReplyDeleteI did not consider the sexist component involved in the doctor's decision to spare a "fragile woman" from the truth. In that case, I believe it is the doctor's duty and responsibility to convey the truth to the patient, no matter male or female, because it is not the doctor's job to decide whether the patient should know the truth or not, it is only to provide the best care for the patient. I could never get behind the idea of deceiving a patient for his/her own best interests, only for the optimal care of the patient.
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