This I Believe

I believe that patient autonomy should stop when the patient is no longer able to make safe and
rational decisions for themselves. I feel this way because sometimes the medical team is more in
tune with what the patient needs than the patient is. I also think that there are times that the
patient is under the influence of medication which may hinder proper decision making as well as
thought processes to make the correct decision about their health. Another reason that I feel this
way is that a lot of times the patients background and character traits may influence their
decision making whereas a medical team has more of a tendency to look at things objectively.

Medical research should be both taken lightly and be supported by the government through
funding in my opinion. I think it should be provided funding because it serves an integral part in
helping to eradicate diseases as well as overall improving the quality of life. Without previous
medical research we as a society would have lost many individuals near and dear to us that could
have been potentially saved from pain and death. I also believe that medical research should be
taken with a grain of salt as it takes years of trial and error and testing as well as evaluation of
results to ultimately determine the relevance and success of discoveries.

Genetic testing for the future should be something that is readily available to everyone who is
interested in it. I dont believe that it should be mandatory but it is something that each
individual should have the option to either choose to participate in or not. I believe this because
we have the ability through this testing to look inside the genes and with great probability be able
to inform ourselves of potential high risks that we face to our health. By obtaining this
knowledge we then have the opportunity to make lifestyle and dietary changes that may reduce
or risks and provide overall better health.

Egg and sperm donation should be something that is still readily available to those who are in
need of assistance in having children. I believe however that there should be more information
provided to those individuals who seek to use egg and sperm of others. Genetic testing for
example of the egg and sperm is one thing I believe should be incorporated in the future. I
believe this because I feel that everyone who desires to should have access to having children
however they should also be able to make an educated decision based from all the information
that is available about the genetic makeup of the egg or sperm that they are receiving.

Abortion should be used in certain cases but not be available to any individual for any particular
reason that they desire as it currently is. I believe this to be the case because I feel that some
individuals use abortion as a form of birth control. I also feel this way because of my religious
beliefs and based off of that abortion in my mind is murder and is they only type of murderous
act in society that has legality connected to it. I do however believe that in some cases of
physical harm to the mother that abortion is something that may be performed but only if under
the recommendation of a doctor as opposed to any individual choosing that option for any reason
that they may desire.

Treating or terminating impaired infants should be decided by the parents of the infant as well as
the doctor therefore I believe that it should be a joint decision. I believe that the parents should
be involved in the decision making process because it is their child and ultimately they are the
individuals that will be caring for the child if they choose not to terminate the infant. I believe
that the doctor should also be involved in the decision making process because they are able to
look at each set of circumstances with an objective and medical point of view whereas parents
have the tendency to let their own selfish desires or emotions cloud their judgement and decision
making. To make this difficult decision I believe that all of the possibilities and potential effects
of the decision should be discussed by the parents of the child and the doctor together and that
they should reach a decision that both parties can support.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be a right of each patient to choose whether or
not they want to have that performed and physicians should be able to perform the procedure
without legal ramifications. I believe that physicians should be able to perform this procedure
because if it is something that their patient requests it is their legal duty under the medical oath
that they have taken to honor their patients wishes. I believe that the patient should have the
right to choose this option especially in terminal conditions as they have the right to not suffer
unnecessarily in pain or discomfort. I believe that since a patient has a right to refuse treatment
or medication that they should also have the right to terminate their life under the medical
guidelines that current exist to protect a patients quality of life.

Payment to organ donors or their families should be something that is incorporated into the organ
donation process. I believe this because I feel that with the great amount of people that die each
day in the world that there is a plethora of organs that are wasted that could go to people that
need them. I believe that by offering a payment to individuals and their families it would
promote as well as influence more individuals to donate their organs. Another reason that I
believe payment should be offered to families is to aid in their ability to provide an adequate
burial of the loved one that they lost.

Allocation of health care should be considered based on a person's age/quality of life/ability to

pay because without those considerations it is difficult for insurance companies to run a business.
I believe this should be the case because some individuals have numerous medical conditions
which in turn increases the amount of money the insurance company is required to spend on the
individual. I believe this also effects the other individuals that are covered by the insurance
company and it is unfair to raise the premiums on healthy individuals due to other individuals
that require continuous medical treatment. I believe this to be the case because typically a vast
amount of people who require this frequent treatment have voluntarily made choices and
decisions that have put them in this predicament in the first place.

Medical research for women should be increased and accelerated with the aid and financial
assistance of the government and various agencies. I believe this to be true because women are
more prone and susceptible to diseases and various debilitating medical conditions than are men.
I also feel that women are an integral part of society as they are solely responsible for bringing
people into the world through child birth. I also believe that they are important to society as they
are typically the individuals who stay at home and raise the children while men are supporting
the family financially. I believe that while both male and female are important to the growth and
development of their children that women surpass men in numerous ways therefore the
preservation of the women and their continued health is of utmost importance.
Health care for minorities should be just as available as health care is available to majorities
without any segregation or limitations. I believe this to be the case because regardless of
ethnicity we are all human beings and we should all be treated equal when it comes to health
care. I believe that any type of segregation or discrimination based off of race as far as health
care is concerned is inhumane and against the wishes of God. I also believe that an individual
has no say in the matter as far as what ethnic group they were born into therefore is unfair to be
treated any differently.

Those with AIDS/HIV should be required to be registered with the local and government
agencies which would hold them legally responsible if they fail to inform sexual partners of their
infection status. I believe that in addition they should be required to wear a bracelet or some
type of permanent identifier that allows others in society to be aware of their infection status. I
believe this to be true because their infectious nature poses a health risk to other individuals and
they should have the knowledge and ability to protect themselves. I also believe this because it
is unfair to individuals to be exposed to a life changing disease because another individual didnt
feel it was necessary to disclose that information to them.