Politics

The Hippocratic Oath in Greek and Latin published in Frankfurt in 1595 in Apud Andreae Wecheli heredes by Claudium Marnium, & Ioan. Aubrium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Considered a father of Western medicine, Hippocrates advocated the healing effects of food. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Vermont Legislature has passed a new law, the first to be passed through a state congress allowing doctors to prescribe a deadly dose of life ending “medicine”. Currently, readers of the USA Today are arguing whether or not the choice should be allowed, let’s face it…….the law has been passed. Until challenged let’s put that question aside.

My focus on this law is centered around the Hippocratic Oath. Is this allowed?

Obviously there are people within any profession who act on their own accords and with their own motives; but for those who act according to the oath they swore……. Is this possible?

I find it hard to believe that a doctor, adhering to his oath, can prescribe a lethal dose of “medicine” that will be administered, by the patient, with the intent of stopping life.

I am not a doctor, med-student, or avid medical reader for that matter. I am not casting judgment on doctors who follow the law, but is it a violation?

If so, what is the higher power, the Hippocratic Oath or the State Law?

“The Ethicist” and the Doctor (ethicsalarms.com)
Force Feeding and Free Will (extinctverse.wordpress.com)
House passes end-of-life bill, 75-65, after rejecting handful of amendments (vtdigger.org)
Vermont Gov. Signs Death with Dignity Bill (blogs.lawyers.com)

The private sector consistently poaches qualified employees from the candidate pool that is the state governments.

As an employee of a quasi-governmental entity, the insurer of last resort for the state, I can honestly say that the private sector is consistently attractive.

With my current family setting of being able to work from home and help take care of our daughter, I am not able to seize those private sector offers.

It is because of this possible pulling away of employees that I am excited about the first raise for state employees in seven years. People constantly complain about the struggle they receive from city and state offices, but is it hard to believe that the person on the other end of the phone is frustrated?

It isn’t much as of now, but luckily state employees are receiving 5%-10%.

The only improvement to the policy would be if the raises were solely merit based, and not automatic. Many state employees have worked incredibly hard to out perform co-workers and this could have been a great opportunity to reward those hard workers.