A Balancing Act

Standing Still (Jewel)

"Between fight and flight is the blind man's sight and the choice that's right"

The bottom line is that there are no right or wrong answers, just the best action to be employed under mitigating circumstances.

Ethical dilemmas.

It's something we've been preached to at uni for a good couple of lectures.

Yup I got it.

Most of the time, I was able to get behind the simulated scenarios and formulate what I think is the best way to handle the situation, so I figured ethical dilemmas are just another one of those lecturers' gimmicks to try and scare us about the real world.

Until this ethical dilemma got the better of me.

I was watching episode 2x24 of Grey's Anatomy yesterday which involved a difficult decision.

A pregnant lady (who already had 6 kids) came in for a Caesearean for the birth her 7th child. She wanted Dr Addison Shepherd to tie up her baby-carrying factories after the delivery because, as many of you would understand, her family is getting far too big for her to handle.

The only problem is that her husband was against birth control (for religious reasons), and she hadn't told him of her life-changing decision.

The doctor didn't agree to do it just like that, obviously. She made the patient aware that it was a private matter which should be talked through properly between husband and wife before any action was to be taken.

But knowing that her husband wouldn't come round to seeing it her way, she saw no point in bringing this up to him. The only way (in her opinion) was to do it behind his back without him knowing.

So after some serious consideration, Dr Shepherd obliged, because "she is our patient, and our obligation is to her, and her only".

She tied up her Fallopian tubes after delivery, and made it known to the OR staff that she did what she "had to", "due to a complication of the surgery which came from unexpected bleeding of the Fallopian tubes".

Sincerely, I thought that was smart. What a way to camouflage the whole thing without needing to break patient confidentiality.

But guess what. The patient's husband smelled something fishy about the business. He probably knew (from his experience of having 6 kids) that C-sections are relatively safe, so he was definitely not bought over by the justification of Shepherd's actions.

And he decided to sue.

Naturally, Shepherd wasn't going to let this blemish her renowned reputation. She went back to the patient and asked her to come clean as it was HER request after all, and that Shepherd only did it at her behest.

Ha. So what do you think? Do you think the patient would have been so "kind" as to tell her husband the truth and bear the brunt of his fury, and see their marriage fall apart because of that?

Of course not.

She's human after all and humans are selfish. They are only after what they want and care about nothing else. (Haha, I said they like I'm not human...)

So, the doctor went all out to help her patient and she gets punished for that. Where's the justice?

I guess it's just another reminder that this is the real world, and justice isn't part of the make up.

The way I see it, the real dilemma - at the end of the day - looks as if it's balancing the patient's best interest, and the health professionals' best interest. Because if doing what the patient wants is going to land the latter in hot soup, would anyone be so willing as to go the distance, when their ass, and job, and reputation is on the line?