This I believe...at the beginning of the semester

1. Patient autonomy should stop when . . .I think patient autonomy should stop when they are inflicting pain on themselves, especially when they are asking a licensed medical provider to do it for them. This isn't physician-assisted suicide, this is someone who is choosing to act in a way that isn't backed by logic, research, or formal training. I don't know that people should be forced to take a treatment when they do not want it, especially adults, and we need to value the patients reason; whether it be religions, cultural/social, or personal. I think minors autonomy should be limited because they cannot be expected to make the best decision for themselves, considering their stage of development to the persons recommending a treatment/plan. As long as it does not involved jeopardizing a medical license, or asking anyone to participate in anything illegal, the patients autonomy should be honored.

2. Medical research should . . .Medical research should promote the health and well-being of human kind but not at the expensive, torture, or mistreatment of any individual. There are people among us who dedicate their bodies (typically after death) to science that we may learn and advance thanks to their donations. I think this is an area we will continually need to spend time in and make a priority - because there is still so much we do not know about our own bodies or how to cure some illnesses and diseases. I don't know whether animals should or should not be used for this purpose; I have similar feelings that it needs to be done respectfully and sparingly. This is a delicate issue but the question is does the end justify the means? Many of the knowledge we have now would not have been obtained without some sacrifice, earlier on.

3. Genetic testing for the future should . . .I think genetic testing should be able to give us an idea of looking for problems before they arise. For example, my mother works at Myriad Genetics, a large corporation dedicated to genetic testing and markers. They are currently identifying breast and colon cancer markers so people with a known family history in those areas can see if they have the predisposition to begin surveillance at an earlier age. I am unsure whether it should allow parents to "doctor" their children to have what they consider "desirable" characteristics or features - that is too much for me, personally. I could see the benefit to eliminate "bad genes" such as cancer from the human race, but I think about the people who have grown and become better people by and would not trade it for anything. If, overall, it can improve the human condition and lead to healthy lifestyles or life practice then I am all for it.

4. Egg and sperm donation should be . . .Egg and sperm donation should be a personal decision - I guess it also depends what it is being used for. If it is being used for research, I don't know that I see a big problem, if it not actually being developed into a child at some point. It can also provide a remarkable service for people who are unable to have children of their own. This is something that should be regulated because I imagine there are risks to having this procedure done (the collection) in women more than men (I believe). A lot of this topic for me really depends on how it will be used in the long run - that is a hard place to stand because I'm sure there are a variety of uses that could and would arise.

5. Abortion should/should not be . . .Abortion is a very personal decision - on either side. You have many who impose beliefs, either way, on what they believe should or shouldn't happen. At the end of the day, I think it has to come down to what the person honestly believes is the right decision. I think it should become more difficult to get an abortion as time goes on and the justification for having it needs to be well understood by a medical provider because I believe it is unethical not to consider an almost full-term babies future and development at that point. I don't think it should be completely banned or that it should be a curb side 7-11 service; if people sincerely considered adoptions or other options, it may decrease the amount of unnecessary deaths.

6. Treating or terminating impaired infants should be decided by . . .Treating and termination impaired infants is a hard topic to be completely one sided on; on the one had you have the parents who may see the hope and are willing to invest the time, energy, and money to giving that child the best life they could ever might have had. While you may have a parent who opts to not treat their child when the majority of providers would be a completely justified and logical reason to administer treatment. There are hundreds of scenarios I could pose, but I think it is in the best interest of all parties to communicate and appreciate where the other is coming from. Education in this decision process is going to be key.

7. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be . . .My view on this topic has really changed over the years. At first, I was against the idea of physician-assisted suicide, but then I thought of all the people suffering from terminal illness' or the elderly that were in too much pain or misery to go on and rethought my stance. If their decision, especially if death is around the corner, is to make this choice by their free will I believe they should be allowed to do so. Having control in this world is something we all strive for but hardly every get a firm grip on - when put in these sensitive situations, all we might want as our "dying wish" is to make that decision on our very own. I do think there needs to be some parameters set up, so people do not make rash decisions. The younger the person is, the more steps, such as counseling, coaching, etc they must go through to really make sure this is what they're looking for.

8. Payment to organ donors or their families should be . . .I really sat here and thought if I might have an opinion on this and I don't know that I do, simply because I can see both sides. I see as organ donation as an act of kindness that people voluntarily choose to participate in. I could also see how some people would abuse this service and would be giving everything they have or even turning it into a black market type of deal. That might be too far of a stretch. I can see how a deceased love one who has plenty of organs that could benefit a lot of people would indirectly benefit their family financially, especially if they were struggling. I think many people would choose to be generous and not opt to be paid because they would understand the magnitude of their generosity.

9. Allocation of health care should/should not be considered based on a person's age/quality of life/ability to pay....This is definitely a touch subject - because we could stretch this example out among many 'services'; if in fact you view healthcare that way. I believe most people want to be paid for the services they provide; I believe the tire salesman, landscape crew, and post office worker feel the same way. That's how I feel about the payment portion (at this point anyway), it is a sensitive issue because healthcare is something that effects us all, it's our HEALTH, but it is also a profession. I don't believe a person's age or quality of life should have any bearing, whatsoever, on the quality of healthcare a person is eligible for. I can see how payment can effect those two other areas - that's why all of this is a very delicate and sensitive issue.

10. Medical research for women should . . .Medical research for women should be safe and respectful. Those would be my only guidelines - if they want to be conducted in research then I believe they should. A tricky situation that just came to mind is if they're pregnant, it gets a lot more complicated from there. At what point is it safe to undergo testing? At what point does it stop? These are all questions that I am still exploring and to be honest, may never come to a concrete conclusion about. I think about the unborn child and the potential at life that they have, I also consider the choice a mother has to make and the contributions she might want to make to science or medicine to benefit millions after her. I don't think there is a one size fits all for this topic and I don't think there ever will be.

11. Health care for minorities should be . . .Healthcare for minorities shouldn't be any different than it is for anyone else - with that said, I believe it can be challenging to give them the care they need because of language barriers or being fully aware of their culture or customs to give them the best care possible. Having a diverse team of providers can assist in giving minorities the best care that they deserve, as patients. I don't see why or how this could improve, other than taking the time to be culturally competent and considerate with those with whom we interact with/may interact with.