Doctors want right to talk faith
Posted: June 27, 2009.
Print: BBC News
Doctors in the Christian Medical Fellowship will tell the British Medical Association this week that they want to be able to provide spiritual counseling and prayer for patients. Rather than respecting the privacy of patients and their right to simply be themselves, these doctors seem to see medical treatment as an opportunity to proselytize patients.
the General Medical Council code allows for religious discussions as part of patient care only under the condition that patient wishes are respected. In short, people have the right to be left alone. However, rather than recognizing the legitimacy of patient rights, the Christian Medical Fellowship doctors complain that their own rights are being denied. They say such things as “Christianity is being seen as something that is unhelpful.” They claim that their “Freedom of speech is being curtailed,” and say “it is getting to the point where many of us feel we cannot talk to patients about their spiritual or religious needs or ask them about praying.”
Where is this supposed to get us? Are people in future really forced to ask each doctor in advance whether they are really serious about their profession by sticking to scientific facts and not indulge in any supernatural ideas and pseudo science, just to make sure they end up in good hands?
By all means, but if a doctor wants to do quackery, then he should stand to that and be clearly labeled as a quack. Don´t like the word quack? Well then call yourself a shaman, a wonder healer or a medicin man, but not a doctor. That word is reserved for the real stuff.
posted on July 1, 2009If “doctor” is no longer a reliable designation because we give in into this nonesence and we would come up with a new word in order to make sure reasonable people can identify who is serious about medically carring for people, then just how long will it take until those quacks try and demand to be called the same way?
Praying does not help and is no serious approach of medical care. So keep this stuff out if you still want to be called a doctor and be taken seriously.
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