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A (horrible) Question of Ethics | by Illiad | 2008-04-28 08:51:02 |
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*both* decisions are the same. | by perlcat45 | 2008-04-28 09:13:12 |
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They're not the same | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 09:16:05 |
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I disagree. | by Pic | 2008-04-28 09:29:09 |
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"Certainty that either..." | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 09:42:41 |
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"ethics isn't about numbers or probability." | by perlcat45 | 2008-04-28 10:18:05 |
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What do you mean by | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 10:19:56 |
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You're in the game of probabilty | by perlcat45 | 2008-04-28 10:28:13 |
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I don't follow | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 10:33:05 |
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Thank $deity you aren't my doctor.(n/t) | by perlcat45 | 2008-04-28 10:36:26 |
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That is a highly unfair question to ask parents. | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 10:48:17 |
| Responses: |
by Nath3 |
2008-04-28 11:36:35 |
1) They don't need to be medically trained. In medicine, procedures tend to have some risks and some benefits. You need a doctor to try and figure out what those risks and benefits are and explain them to the patient, but ultimately it's the patient's (or guardian's) job to weigh the benefits against the risks and decide whether they want the procedure. This isn't always possible in emergencies, but it's important.
2) Given that the patients are too young to provide informed consent, the parents are the ones who have to provide it. That's why it should be their decision. If you were sick, and there was a risky treatment that doctors could try, would you want them to do so without your permission? No; it's your call. This would be no more a conflict of interest than the OP's scenario.
3) Yes, it shifts responsibility -- but it shifts it to where it's supposed to be. A doctor's job is to help people who have given their consent to be helped; to diagnose conditions, suggest treatments, and, if allowed, to carry them out. A doctor's job is not to decide who lives or dies, or who gets treated. That's the patient's decision (or, when the patient is incapacitated, that of the next of kin).
Sure, it's an impossibly difficult choice for the parents to make -- but it is their choice to make. |
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[ Reply ] |
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In real life, you're correct | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 11:42:20 |
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I answered elsewhere in the thread: | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 13:43:14 |
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I read that, | by MatthewDBA | 2008-04-28 14:01:37 |
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I disagree | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 11:59:11 |
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Matter of trust. | by perlcat45 | 2008-04-28 13:08:59 |
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Which is exactly why it's unfair to present the | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 13:16:38 |
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I doubt I'll convince you, but... | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 13:40:47 |
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but this isn't that situation. | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 13:51:01 |
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But they do have different goals. | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 14:12:58 |
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It's still just passing the buck. | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 14:15:40 |
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Is it passing the buck... | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 14:22:11 |
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Yes, it is. | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 14:53:58 |
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I fear I'm repeating myself. | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 15:03:54 |
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Why? | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 15:06:06 |
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But that *isn't* the only difference. | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 15:09:11 |
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And who in their right mind | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 15:25:34 |
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That isn't the scenario described in the OP. | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 15:30:46 |
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I guess we're going to have to disagree on that :) (n/t) | by subbywan | 2008-04-28 15:39:41 |
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I guess so. | by Nath3 | 2008-04-28 15:52:27 |
