What are doctors' ethical obligations when providing medical care to hateful patients?

December 17th, 2010 → 11:08 pm @

There hasn’t been a whole lot written in the American press about the story of an unidentified German doctor who walked out of surgery when he saw a swastika on the arm of his already anesthetized patient. (According to The Telegraph‘s translation of an article in the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung, the doctor said, “I can’t operate on this man. I am Jewish.” The BMJ‘s translation has a slightly more poetic ring to it–“I cannot operate on this man. I am a Jew”–but their piece is also stuck behind a typically absurd medical journal paywall.)

The unidentified surgeon found a colleague to take his place, and while he was the subject of a lot of public criticism, he was not reprimanded. (more…)

Post Categories: Germany & medical ethics