Killing

 

When, if ever, is killing justified?

• in a time of war
• revenge
• act of insanity
• assisted suicide
• while on illegal drugs
• accidental
• involuntarily
• never

When our President send soldiers into a war zone, it is obvious that some will die.  However, we don't think about killing when we are driving on the highway or undergoing a serious surgery.  Nor do we think about killing when an insurance company denies a claim, and the client who made the claim dies.

If and when someone dies in the operating room during surgery, physicians usually take out malpractice insurance to protect them.

Nor do we ever assign blame when a homeless person dies on the street for whatever reason.  We just assume it was because he was homeless and never feel any shame because we had done nothing to help them.

Can a physician refuse to save another person's life because the patient has different political views or believes in a different form of religion?

Our country is changing, and it is becoming a country that many of us are not going to recognize.