As a doctor, I put patient well-being above my personal feelings. Don’t pass SB 90.
I am a physician who has been practicing in Lexington for the past 42 years. A few years ago, a new patient came to me with difficulty breathing. I took his history and did a physical examination during which I encountered a tattoo depicting a swastika. I am Jewish and my ancestors came from Europe. I had several distant relatives who disappeared during the Holocaust. I certainly noticed this tattoo and the patient must have been aware that I had seen it, but I did not react to or comment on it. I continued with my physical examination as usual. I did some testing, made a diagnosis and started the patient on appropriate treatment. I shook his hand and scheduled him to return in a few months so I could see how he was doing. Neither one of us mentioned the tattoo. But I admit that to this day I continue to wonder what would drive a person to desecrate his body with that kind of a symbol.
Despite my personal feelings about this hateful symbol, as a physician, it is my ethical and legal duty to put the well-being of the patient ahead of my own, make a diagnosis and offer treatment. That’s what doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers do. I have treated prison inmates, drug-addicted people and patients with HIV and a variety of different gender preferences. Some of my patients have no insurance and cannot pay. I treat them all the same because that’s the choice I made when I entered medical school. I don’t sit in judgment of their life choices (good or bad) or personal situations although I do offer advice about improving their health when it is welcome.
Senate Bill 90, that would create a “conscience” exemption for health care providers, if enacted, would pollute the doctor-patient relationship by placing religious preferences and prejudices ahead of the needs of the patient. The practice of medicine is not a religion or political leaning. It is a calling, and the well-being of any patient should always be the primary consideration. Every one of us, of any political stripe or religion already is or will be a patient at some time. When that time comes, we all want to be treated as patients and know that the doctor is looking out for our well-being, not judging us by comparison with his or her own personal beliefs. This does not mean that I will provide whatever the patient wants at the moment, especially if I believe that it would be harmful or wasteful. That’s based on my medical opinion of what is most beneficial for the patient. I find that when I explain the reasons behind these decisions, the patient usually understands and even agrees.
Medicine is difficult and diverse, and we are destined to encounter conflicts in the management of some patients. We may have strong feelings about them, but we try our best to help because we are doctors and we don’t turn away. Kentucky Senate Bill 90 deserves a swift and merciful death.
Steve Kraman is a Lexington physician.