The Last Ditch by Tom Paine

THE LAST DITCH

The “right” to talk?

Published by Tom

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Anglican Mainstream » Blog Archive » Doctors want right to talk faith.

This article is distressing. In my opinion, the NHS has no right to discipline its employees for discussing anything with patients. The patients are the true employers. The NHS is merely a monopolistic state agency between them and their medical carers. If a patient didn't want to talk about religion and asked a carer to stop, that's another issue. Asking for the "right" to talk faith (or talk about anything else) implies that the state has the right to dictate the content of private conversations. It doesn't.

2 responses to “The “right” to talk?”

  1. Moggsy Avatar
    Moggsy

    I figure if the patient brings the subject.. or any relevant subject up… Then the medical practitioner should answer to the best of their ability. If it is not their area of competence they should say so and point the patient in the right direction.
    No business of the state.
    I also figure the practitioner should wait until asked. Also that they can safely take it that if someone is visiting them as a patient they have a go-ahead to offer medical opinions.

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  2. Young Mr. Brown Avatar
    Young Mr. Brown

    “I also figure the practitioner should wait until asked.”
    Ah, but do you believe that they should be disciplined if they don’t wait until asked?

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Tom is a retired international lawyer. He was a partner in a City of London law firm and spent almost twenty years abroad serving clients from all over the world.

Returning to London on retirement in 2011, he was dismayed to discover how much liberty had been lost in the UK while he was away.

He’s a classical liberal (libertarian, if you must) who, like his illustrious namesake, considers that

“…government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.”

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