ACOG Encourages Doctors to Act Unethically
Doctors have an ethical duty to acknowlegde that medical errors occur and to work toward reducing those errors. The American College of Gynecology (ACOG) published an article in its journal in which the author recommended that obstetricians obtain medical tests in some situations and not others. He encouraged them to not obtain certain medical tests when it was likely that the results would be “uncomfortably incriminating.” In other words, if the test will show that the doctor messed up, don’t get the test.
By publishing this suggestion in its journal, ACOG has impliedly endorsed unethical medicine and medical cover-up. ACOG is encouraging its members to act unethically.
Many doctors believe that the legal system is broken and they should not be subjected to it. While I don’t agree, I wish we could all agree that doctors should not cheat in order to get out of paying for their mistakes.
