We all have deeply held beliefs, and fortunately we live in a country where we can express our ideas freely without fear of government oppression. That freedom is one of our country’s greatest strengths. But freedom also comes with responsibility – especially for those entrusted with the lives of others. Recently, several shocking incidents have revealed a disturbing trend: doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are putting politics and ideology above their duty to protect the health and safety of their patients.
The examples are countless. A nurse in Florida posted on TikTok wishing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt a severe fourth-degree tear during childbirth.
A nurse in Virginia has uploaded a video suggesting ways to injure ICE agents, urging viewers to “make their lives miserable.” Detectives in New York City who were injured during an arrest were reportedly treated rudely and disrespectfully by hospital staff because the staff suspected they were ICE agents.
Even internationally, in Sydney, Australia, two healthcare workers threatened to kill an Israeli man, claiming they had harmed Jewish patients in their care. Anti-Semitic behavior by healthcare providers in Britain is so widespread that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care admitted it “failed completely to protect Jewish patients”. These incidents are more than just shocking, unacceptable errors in judgment. They are violations of trust and ethical responsibility that are central to medicine.
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Trust and morality are the basis of good healthcare. Unfortunately, that trust has already been tested and violated in recent years. The poor handling of COVID-19, combined with widespread misinformation about vaccines and the efficacy of masking, to name just two, left many Americans skeptical of health care providers and public health care in general.
Now when medical professionals publicly express hostility or wish harm on individuals, the divide widens and puts the public at risk. Common sense tells us that no one should worry that a health care provider’s political or religious beliefs will affect their ability to provide care. Yet these incidents make that concern all too real.
Medical misconduct includes violations of ethical duties and intentional bias. When healthcare professionals publicly wish harm on someone they have never met, they violate the most fundamental principles of their profession. How can patients be expected to trust a system where those entrusted with their lives might treat them differently because of their views, religion or background? And what happens when a patient challenges them or is perceived as ‘difficult’? Because of this fear, patients may delay seeking care or choose to avoid care entirely. This breach of trust is a tangible threat to public health.
During my years as a neurosurgeon, I have treated patients with different backgrounds, beliefs and personalities. None of that mattered on the operating table. Medicine requires doctors and nurses to put aside personal biases and focus entirely on the patient’s well-being. If your mind is preoccupied with making judgments about a patient’s beliefs or lifestyle, you simply cannot practice good medicine.
An injured drunk driver should receive the same level of care as the people injured in an accident. Anything less is unethical and illegal. Even in warfare – where life and death are literally at stake – battlefield medics have ethical and legal obligations to treat enemy wounded, as long as the wounded no longer pose a military threat.
At the heart of the matter, as a society we have strayed from the moral compass and principles of faith upon which our nation was founded. Without a higher authority such as God to determine the inherent value of human life, the value of life becomes subjective and variable.
Medical professionals hold a unique position of power and trust, and with it a higher standard of responsibility. Using one’s professional status to promote harm, encourage violence or suggest that certain people deserve mistreatment is completely unacceptable. Those who engage in this behavior should face serious consequences, including loss of their license and employment. The public trusts healthcare providers to act in the best interests of each patient, regardless of personal beliefs.
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Violations of professional ethics must have real consequences, including revocation of medical licenses and dismissal of employees, so that others understand that this behavior is intolerable.
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Ultimately, the healthcare industry exists to heal people, not to advance political agendas. Professionals who cannot meet this standard should not be trusted with the health and lives of others. Protecting trust in healthcare is not optional; it is essential to the safety and well-being of all Americans. There is no point in having great ways to heal the sick if patients don’t trust us to act in their best interests, regardless of any other factor.
The medical profession requires more than just skills. It requires character, integrity and compassion. When we allow personal beliefs to compromise healthcare, we risk lives. Common sense, fundamental faith and ethical responsibility must guide our healthcare system if we are to maintain trust and ensure that every patient is treated with dignity, respect and the care he or she deserves.
