Two Doctors. Opposite Beliefs. Should Doctors Let Personal Beliefs Influence Patient Care?

Comments · 287

• DR

  @drjeffyoo · 3 months ago · pinned

  If you want to learn more about health and medicine, join my Medical Skool community today --&gt; <a href="http://www.skool.com/medicalskool">www.skool.com/medicalskool</a>

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• AL

  @alimoore266 · 2 months ago

  I may not agree 100% with either clinician here, but I deeply respect this level of civil and respectful discourse. It’s so important.

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• JO

  @jocelynel-fab5214 · 3 months ago

  My mother went to a “religious, no MAID” hospice - the way she passed was much worse than MAID - they induced a coma and withdrew all water and food until her kidneys failed. She walked into the hospice at 125lbs and at the end, 15 days later, she was down to 89 lbs. I would not want to see a pet go through this type of death. So much for the religious approach.

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• JO

  @jocelynel-fab5214 · 3 months ago (edited)

  When a dying person becomes aware that they will require constant sedation because their pain has become intolerable, they should have the opportunity to choose MAID instead of imposing on their loved ones a long, drawn-out comatose death by starvation.

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• RA

  @Raven-si7bm · 3 months ago

  This is exactly what we need more of! Two physicians from different backgrounds actually listening to each other instead of talking past one another—it’s genuinely inspiring. Medicine thrives on rigorous debate and good-faith exchange, and watching two doctors model this kind of intellectual humility and mutual respect is so refreshing. Our patients and our profession are better for it. This is the civil discourse that belongs in every hospital, clinic, and medical school. Thank you both! 👏

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• NP

  @Npm4374 · 3 months ago

  Hi Dr. Yoo, I am an MS4 in Minnesota. I really appreciated this conversation. Like you, I have wrestled with similar questions about the relationship between science and religion. Interestingly, I came out on the other side of that questioning period and remained Christian. One thing that helped me was discovering Christian analytic philosophers and scholars, such as William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, and Josh Rasmussen, who offered a rigorous academic framework for many of the questions you raised.<br><br>I do think the modern evangelical church has often failed to communicate the depth of its own intellectual tradition, and too often gives superficial answers to genuinely difficult questions. At the same time, Christianity has a rich history of rigorous thought, including in the development of modern science and medicine. Many early scientists were motivated by the belief that the universe was created by an intelligent God and therefore could be studied, understood, and ordered.<br><br>Again, I thought this was an excellent conversation. These are exactly the kinds of discussions that should happen more often within the medical community, and I appreciate the way you are helping set that standard.

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• LC

  @lcandsp9612 · 3 months ago

  As a Christian who has worked in an abortion clinic and a public health researcher who spent my professional life studying what supports and encourages health, my religious beliefs have always been part of my approach to work. But unlike many religious people, it&apos;s my Christianity that leads me to think that the kinds of decisions you&apos;re discussing are crucially the responsibility of the individuals involved, not their health care providers. While professionals can be hugely helpful in understanding the medical aspects of MAID, abortion, gender-conforming care, and so on, when it comes to the moral aspects of that care, doctors and nurses have no standing whatever between the individual and God (whatever the individual conceives God to be, if anything), and the most they should allow themselves is to recuse themselves from care they think immoral. My believe over 70 years now has become that God grants us the freedom to decide, and deciding is essential to being a human being.<br> &nbsp; &nbsp;A beautiful, humane, courteous, and important discussion you and your colleague managed. Thanks, and blessings to you both.

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• PL

  @Plutoniansilence · 3 months ago

  For small towns and people who cannot travel out of them, a biased physician can be extraordinarily harmful. The idea of people “going somewhere else” is entirely big city thinking.

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• NI

  @nickshier3329 · 3 months ago

  My grandma passed using MAID 3 years ago in Victoria. She was 95 still living at home with my 98 year old grandpa. She had multiple cancers, and a lung condition that would eventually suffocate her in her sleep within 6 months. She didn&apos;t want to put her husband through that, and decided that getting all her dues in order and planning goodbyes with family was better. She was also Christian! Our family agrees with MAID.This was a super cool conversation absolutely loved it.

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• EI

  @eileene.5870 · 3 months ago

  I think that lady is way outside of the reality of modern medicine, showing a real &quot;in an ideal world&quot; way of thinking. Ultimately, the patient is the one who is making the decision about their own life. Who the hell is she to tell someone living in agony that their life is so meaningful to other people that they should not be allowed to utilize MAID to get out of pain? Guess what happens when things like MAID aren&apos;t available? My friend&apos;s dad had incurable brain cancer, could not control the pain, and because physician-assisted suicide was being argued in the state congress (in Oregon), he had an afternoon snack of hot lead and my teenage friend found him. If it&apos;d been available, he could have gone peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones who could hold his hand and talk to him while he slipped away. Instead it was traumatic and shocking for everyone else. That lady needs to stop moralizing away other people&apos;s choices for themselves.

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• KA

  @KatieVDW837 · 3 months ago

  A great example of how two very intelligent and very caring people should sit down and discuss their differences! To both of you: thank you for being a shining example to others 🎉🎉

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• HI

  @HippoBreath · 3 months ago

  Thank you Dr. Yoo for having Dr. Cottle on for an open and honest discussion about implications and navigating secular versus faith based healthcare in an unbiased and synergistic manner. As a freshly graduated health care professional, I have delved and questioned my own practice in our modern Canadian healthcare landscape during my rotations and preceptorship, and seeing my seniors openly discussing this topic while sharing their thoughts and approaches helps me navigate and formulate my care for my own patients. <br><br>Thank you again for using your platform so graciously.

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