[Vision2020] Fwd: Moscow Medical

[John B. Brown]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: John B. Brown <drbrown at moscow.com>
> Date: September 18, 2005 12:21:36 PM PDT
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Moscow Medical
>
> Vision 2020 folks,
>      I note that Tim has posed our Vision statement, and that it has 
> caused some consternation.  First, I have to take responsibility for 
> the statement about health care not being a basic human right.  In 
> retrospect I think I could have worded that part less provocatively.  
> My intent was to relay the idea that the better way of looking at 
> providing health care was that it was a responsibility for as a 
> medical community, and as a society in general, to provide for the 
> health and needs of our neighbors, rather than a right to be demanded 
> as if it, by nature, belonged to the person demanding it.  If health 
> care is a natural human right than my failure to provide it on demand, 
> or to ask for payment for providing it, is theft of someone else's 
> property, or so it seems to me.  Our society seems to like to discuss 
> care of our neighbors in terms of "rights" rather than 
> responsibilities.  It has been my experience as a military physician 
> in a "free" medical environment that this concept used in the 
> doctor/patient relationship creates a fair amount of antagonism, as 
> well as an undervaluing of the medical resources being provided.  So, 
> just emerging from this environment 7 years ago, and thinking about 
> and wanting to take seriously Jesus' commands to care for the weak and 
> helpless, and the "preferential preference" for the poor, I came up, 
> with the help of my partners, with that last part of the statement.  
> We have talked several times in the last few years about changing the 
> wording to be less "in your face" as that was not our intention.
>      Ms Huskey wonders if we think that God's providence means not 
> treating disease.  Far from it.  We are to fight against the ravages 
> of hunger, war, pestilence, bigotry, etc with all our strength and 
> hearts and minds.  This is part of loving our neighbor and exercising 
> dominion which we are all called to do.  I gladly use all the tools 
> available to me to perform these tasks, as do all the physicians I 
> know.  What it doesn't mean is using those tools to fight those things 
> which are themselves good, such as using them to end life either at 
> its beginning or at its end.  I can certainly understand the fear of 
> suffering and death- I have certainly seen enough of both and hate 
> them.  But I also understand that suffering and death provide some of 
> our best chances for heroism and selflessness, and that faced with 
> courage they can have immense human value.  This is a basic Christian 
> idea, probably common to most religions, that Good can and will come 
> out of Evil, and that in the end, Evil does not win.  Our statement is 
> our poor attempt to reflect some of those realities, as is our 
> practice of medicine.  As Christians, we understand these truths in 
> Christian terms and with Christian vocabulary.  I think the majority 
> of them can be grasped through the natural law common to all 
> humankind.  Finding value in enduring and fighting bravely the 
> despicable things that come into our lives does not mean we approve or 
> desire them.  I hope that is clear.  If there are still doubts about 
> what we three doctors are about, please feel free to talk to our 
> patients and neighbors, and, if it is not too intimidating, talk to 
> us.  I attend St. Mary's Church and know most of the people there.  If 
> you still think we are a chilling, ie "wicked" influence in the 
> community, I would hope you would at least do us the courtesy of doing 
> so after obtaining  the best information available to you, especially 
> if you are going to do this in a public forum.
>
> John Brown, MD
>
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