ETHICS vs DUTY
Here's what some of your colleagues had to say about our last poll question, "Should military doctors' obligation to uphold the Hippocratic Oath trump their duty to serve the country?":

• This is a very difficult question to answer. It really feels like a grey zone. The article "Military MDs enter ethical minefield" (March 30, Vol 3, No 6, page 17) mentioned some extreme scenarios and that's why I say, yes, they're doctors first. If you'd mentioned other extreme scenarios in the other direction, I would have picked B ('No. They're soldiers first and must follow orders'). It takes well thought out novels and profound wisdom to answer these questions, where so much hangs in the balance. Thankfully we aren't always a black and white species.
• The doctor may be a soldier but he's a human being with ethics first.
• If doctors are in the military, they must follow orders just as soldiers do.
• Yes, they're doctors first. That also includes physicians who deal with the death penalty.
• They're doctors first and must help everybody.
• They must respect life as the basic ethics, even as a soldier.
• This is similar to the quandary that chaplains are in. The physicians need to uphold their primary medical oath and principles over military orders when they conflict.
• One should always follow his conscience and be prepared for the consequences.