Originally Posted By: javacontour
Do doctors face the same scrutiny if a patient dies? Are they jailed if they make a mistake?
I'd hope we treat both doctors and these parents in the same fashion.
If a doctor is wrong and your loved one dies, do they go to jail?
But if the parent is wrong and the child dies, we want to jail the parents?
Something doesn't add up here.
-------> I actually know the sister of the parents being berated and criticized on here. They live 20 mins from me. This is not an issue of natural medicine, let's keep it real.
These are excellent questions. Interestingly enough I have seen cases where people, a teen was brought into the hospital at the beginning of the first signs of meningitis and still die in 3 days under full care. No charges were laid, did the doctors error, hard to say as they are not held to the same standard. I have also seen cases where meningitis turned out fine untreated, others, treated with after effects. I have also seen people sent home by doctors saying they were fine, yet die 2 days later at home from misdiagnosed meningitis. This is not a simple sickness. We all make errors in judgment, sometimes the unfortunate outcome is death.
Human morals are an interesting study. You got people that are on one hand pro-choice, but won't hesitate to freak out at the death of at 18 month old who died of a sickness that could have been saved. Those that say doctor assisted suicide is OK, but vies for making a teen who has had leukemia 2 times and on her third undergo another punishing round of chemo against her will. I am not surprised by some of the typical computer jockey responses.
Ponder this:
Seeing how doctors have a hard enough time sorting it out, what makes you qualified to know meningitis well enough to distinguish it from a flu or other condition in an infant that can't describe it?
How many of you are actual parents that know what to do in all situations regarding your child's health and well-being?
How many of the little choices you have made turned out to be wrong, but luckily it didn't end very badly...when it could have?
Some stories are well reported so that you can make definitive conclusions. Others not. From the details provided, there is no way you can make an accurate assessment of what happened. Details of no infant respirators in the ambulance or airlift are not even on the radar and there are other omissions. Until you know the full story pull your hands from the keyboard and try reading up on things before snap judgement.
The larger problem is where do all the other parents who also love their kids go from here? Does Billy just have a fever or a bad cough...is he sick enough to take to the doctor. Who else will be charged? Terrible precedents has been set and it isn't good for anyone.
For those that don't see the trend of society placing more power in the state (yes even in USA) to raise our kids for schooling, health care or even playing un-monitored in your own fenced back yard...you, are simply not awake.
