There are a lot of ethical issues when it comes to
breast cancer testing. Today we will be talking about an ethical issue of
Autonomy. We will talk about what it
means, why it is so important, and what it has to do with breast cancer genetic
testing.
Here is the link for the article:
This article does a great job at giving good background
information and then addressing the issue at hand.
The first that is described is one of autonomy. The way
the article describes autonomy is as follows: “Autonomy is the basic right of
every person to determine his or her own
life because he or she is a person and not determined by ownership of knowledge,
social class, or any other attribute—except competence.'’ Basically it means
that every person has the right to make all the decisions about their life, not based on intellect, or finances, or anything that has to do an external
characteristic, but simply because they are a person. That by itself gives them
the right to make their own decisions.
With breast cancer, or really any ailment, the decision
of getting the testing done, should be left solely to the person. While they
should get counseling from their friends, family and of course, their doctor, and
geneticist, at the end of the day it is their decision. It is the job of the
health care providers to inform the patient as much as they can without bias. It all boils down to the argument of "Doctor knows best" and "It's My Body." At the end of the day, the decision is in the hands of the patient and no one else.
I’ll end this blog with this last statement from the
article “ The purpose of informed consent is to give power to patients who have
traditionally not spoken and have been powerless in the light of medical
proficiency and authority. “
Referneces:
http://bucketlistchallenges.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/make-your-own-choices.jpg
Informed consent! That is the beauty of modern day medicine. People have the option of deciding what course of treatment they want. Really enjoyed this blog.
ReplyDelete"Don't pour my cereal for me! You don't know me! you don't know what I've been through! You don't know what my life is like!" haha! which I think applies here. Doctors shouldn't do tests without consent and shouldn't force patients into doing a test they do not feel comfortable doing hence, don't pour and tell me I want cereal when I don't!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing the way you are taking your blog, which is very focused on breast cancer, and connecting it to the Golden Age of Medicine and how patient's rights must be maintained in the most simplest procedures and tests. However, I am compelled to argue that physicians went to a very long time of schooling, completed immense research in their fields, and spend a good portion of their life in hospital residency. Therefore, even though there is informed consent and patients have the autonomy for the final decision, many patients will still ask their doctor: "what is the best form of treatment" and most likely will comply with the doctor's opinion. In other words, even though informed consents are important and they give the patient the right to refuse, it is very rare that a person with cancer (or any other condition) will ignore his/her physician's opinion and seek a new treatment by their own. Therefore, it is crucial for patients to have sometime to research their condition and make a decision before they meet with their healthcare provider to decide what they want to do.
ReplyDeleteLove this, Great information and great read. I agree with you, everyone should have rights to their own body and they should make the decission on their own.I also agree with you that counseling is also important because you get to talk things through. Hopefully the decission they make will not be a regret.
ReplyDeleteMerna, this is a very interesting topic: the ethics of medical paternalism. I agree with you that “the decision is in the hands of the patient and no one else;” however, only if his or her decision does not affect the autonomy of others. Cases involving children and persons with mental disabilities should be approached differently, as these constituents may lack the cognition to take into account of their long-term preferences. An example of justified compulsory medical treatment would be the protection of the public’s health by controlling persons with a contagious disease such tuberculosis. In regards to “informed consent,” I also agree that health care professionals are morally obligated in providing all information that could affect a patient’s decision.
ReplyDelete