Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Opinions that unfortunately DO matter

Long time ago, a lecturer brought up the topic of ethical issues that occur in notable professions.

She used her personal experience to illustrate her point.
She testified the story about her brother mentally giving up the cancer battle after the doctor had told him that he had only half a year to live.
Her argument was- he could definitely have lived longer had not the doctor gave such prediction.
Conclusion= She blames the doctor.

I raised my hand because I thought this is one-sided story is very unsuitable for the passive journalism students to digest.

"I think the doctor was just fulfilling his professional duty to inform the patient based on his expert opinion. Afterall, our lives are all based on PROFESSIONAL opinions. Who builds the roads we use everyday? Who makes national policies? Who is to say what kind of clothes are suitable to wear? Ultimately we have to rely on the 'higher authorities' to run our lives. Blaming the doctor, is like blaming the teacher for failing the SPM student who later committed suicide because she was unable to accept her results" - this was the period where the results were just released, so, I used it as an example.

"It was in the examiner's professional opinion of the student's performance over the exam which ultimately reflects her intellectual capability. But why can't we blame the teacher for the actions the student choose to take?"

Till this day, I wondered if anyone in the lecture understood my argument because it was left just like that.....

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

they prolly dont...but u made a good point there

sg_rayboy said...

Hun, that was a good point..our lives are based on professional opinions...But i think that doctor should have said it in an encouraging way, i feel doctors should provide self motivation classes to patients on how to cope with their illness. Sometimes it's all in the mind. If you say your strong and well you are, if you say your weak you are. I guess that what your leacturer was trying to say...live life to the fullest..

Hun,you classmates just decided to based their lifes on professional opinions.... how boring...LOL

Vincent said...

don't see any problem if she wants to blame the doctor. I wouldn't call it an ethical issue.

It do sound like your lecturer has an issue of her brother living longer. I am sure she did not put solely the blame on the doctor, but just to illustrate a point to students. Again, if she is trying to illustrate an ethical issue, this matter is not an ethical issue.

Don't see the point blaming anyway. One thing in life I know, blaming someone won't get me anywhere.