There's a trust compact between a doctor and a patient. When you go to a doctor and hand over the care of your body, you trust that the doctor and medical care providers will do all they can to care for your or to direct you to a place that can provide better care options. Doctors who fail to do this break the trust contract. And in my mind, that includes doctors who fail to meet a standard of care for women's reproductive health.
@TheresaVermont now however, the government is stepping in and stopping providers from doing their due diligence from fear of prosecution.
@CinnamonGirlE Yes, true. But doctors are complicit. A doctor is choosing to remain, to protect a license, to not go to jail. A doctor is saying that a license and avoiding jail time is more important than someone's life. That is a tough ethical dilemma, but I do wonder how they sleep at night. The doctors have options. Amber Thurman didn't.
@TheresaVermont I don't disagree at all. They are put in a bad spot. But someone's life is their life. The patient, the baby, the provider, who may go to prison now.
Just another reason we all must vote blue.
@CinnamonGirlE Yes, all we can do is vote. The doctors have to decide whether to stay and comply, stay but be honest that they aren't providing care, or leave. They can choose to talk publicly. They do have choices. It's not just ignore a patient or go to jail.
@TheresaVermont agreed. They should all be very vocal. Especially at this time. Politicians have zero business in medicine.
Zero.
I think I would have to leave where I could practice fully. But that's like saying everyone in Texas and Florida and the south for that matter, should move away. Nothing is that simple.
At the end of the day however, all the patient cares about is their health. And that's the way it should be. That's what the medical team is for. They should be allowed to do it.
@CinnamonGirlE @TheresaVermont I agree with all of the comments here. While medical professionals have never had a duty to risk their lives, they do have a duty to follow accepted standards of care. The remedy for breach of the standard is a lawsuit. I would love to see that happen.
@PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE @TheresaVermont can I (former clinic director) chime in? Agree, so very much. However, it is often not only the medical “professionals” (doctors) whose lives are at risk but also the rank and file clinic workers, the clinic counselors are the most impactful. And the non md clinic workers have so much more impact on patients/clients.
@LaurelGreen @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE Yes I really sympathize with their predicaments. I can only speak for myself, but I know I could not work where I could not provide advice and counsel in alignment with proven standards of care. I say this as someone who worked in a different profession, but quit/fired from a job once because I was ordered to do something unethical. I know how hard it is.
@TheresaVermont @LaurelGreen @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE I did the same thing. It cost me as I had 24 years with the company.
@BFBucky1 @TheresaVermont @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE 24 years? Wow. I salute your commitment and I SO hope you landed ok.
@LaurelGreen @TheresaVermont @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE I did. It was rough and enjoyable at the same time.
@BFBucky1 @LaurelGreen @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE It's a positive memory - you know you did the right thing and worked through it.
@BFBucky1 @LaurelGreen @PapaPeugeot @CinnamonGirlE Ouch. 24 years. Really a big ouch. I only lasted 6 months, but I was a single parent, it was a lousy economy, and I'd been job hunting for a while before I got that job. But no regrets.