(Natanael Melchor, Unsplash)
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Berescu Alexandru Gabriel, a second year student from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, General Medicine. He is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.
Technology advances every day in the medical field and every doctor tries to stay in touch with every new aspect of his speciality. Also all medical students should also try to read about these new discoveries. But there is a catch. How much a student, especially those in the first years with few medical knowledges, distinguish between what is good and what is bad?
Ethical dilemmas vary from country to country, because of the traditions, religion and cultural beliefs. One example would be blood transfusions and organ transplants, which are prohibited by some religions because they consider that this procedures make the body impure. We should respect every person decision, but every doctor must try to explain every aspect, pros or cons, of this procedures because we made so many progresses and would be sad to lose a life that could have been saved. With the discovery of the 3D printed organs and other prosthetic parts the need for organ donation will decrease and many could be saved. But another question rise: “How human we will be with so many artificial objects inside us?”.
Even if we prolonged the lifespan in the last 100 years with almost 30 years, not all these years are lived good because the planet is more polluted, the food is more toxic and the incidence of cancers and many chronic disease increased and not to mention depression and stress. Most likely the last two increased so dramatically because of technology that unite us by separating us and because people can’t find a goal in life and role models. All of these have determined the apparition of a new, i can’t say exactly „problem”, the suicide. I don’t really want to say that suicide is something good, because every person should try to live their life, but in many disease that person isn’t alive so much. And here appears the ethical dilemma: Should medical assisted suicide be allowed?
Probably many doctors wouldn’t approve it and I understand that, because every doctor wants to save as many people as he can. But I think the patient is the most important in every situation and some of them are too tired of fighting and just want some rest. Something that was just a scene from a cartoon TV show 20 years ago, Futurama, became a true thing in Amsterdam, a suicide pod. Even if it was just for a funeral show, I don’t think it should be neglected. Still we should aim to keep a person alive and make his remaining days as good as possible and this is the objective of palliative care, which developed both in psychological and medical way. Today this centers are pretty expensive and few in number but if every doctor understand their meaning, they will certainly increase in number and most likely will be affordable for everyone.
In conclusion the future of us, humans, medical people, remains unclear and I think not many doctors can say that they approve every procedure they do.
About the author
Berescu Alexandru Gabriel is a second year student from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, General Medicine. He has 3 big passions in life – books and writing, science and mysteries. Probably that’s why his dream is to be a forensic pathologist. In his free time something that he likes to do is volunteer work in the medical students society. One of activity that he is involved with is the SCORP magazine, where they approach subjects like human rights, ethics and many others.
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