(ORDO NEWS) — After celebrating a landmark heart transplant in which a human patient received a genetically modified pig heart, the news outlets moved on to highlight the man’s troubled past.
“Revolutionary Heart Transplant Patient Has a Criminal Record,” ran a New York Times headline yesterday about a decade-old incident in which a patient stabbed a man, leaving the victim paralyzed.
Of course, this is a catchy title. But is it really the most responsible way to highlight the problem? Every doctor interviewed by The Times said that a criminal record should not be used to determine the suitability of a patient in need of medical attention, so why is the headline prioritizing sensationalism over factual findings?
The University of Maryland Medical Center, where the transplant was performed, said: “Any hospital or healthcare organization has an obligation to provide life-saving assistance to every patient who walks through their doors, based on their medical needs.” “Any other standard of care would set a dangerous precedent and violate the ethical and moral values that underlie the obligations of physicians and caregivers to all patients under their care.”
You’re not alone if this incident is reminiscent of a 2011 episode of Grey’s Anatomy in which the fictional Dr. Cristina Yang realizes she’s operating on a mass shooter.
She gives the other nurses a chance to leave, and many do, but she stays behind to complete the operation and save his life. Partly it’s saving the patient, but more so it’s the salvation of the doctor who saves lives, period.
With many legislators seeking to pass additional anti-LGBTQ and transgender bills this year after passing several bills that severely curtailed or even made it illegal for young people to get health care, it’s not hard to imagine the slippery slope created by doctors being able to choose who to treat based on your opinion or personal desires.
Others may, for example, follow the lead of those who make counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines because they believe in conspiracy theories rather than facts.
It is also worth noting that since the patient was given a pig heart during the transplant, no human organs were used, according to the Times.
In addition, this operation was part of a plan to improve the use of modified organs in other operations in order to overcome the current shortage of donor organs. The organ waiting list could be a death sentence for the more than 100,000 patients on the organ donation waiting list if they wait too long.
Yes, one patient may have had a violent past, but we can’t let doctors decide who deserves and who doesn’t deserve medical care, especially if it comes at the expense of vital scientific advances.
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