News
Article
The
Ethical Connection
According to Rosenstand (2013), "Too often we tend to think that certain issues are someone else's problem. Don't assume that it is someone else's responsibility" (p. 488). Christina Hoff Sommers, an American philosopher, also points out that, "a good way to learn about virtues is to read stories about someone who does something decent for others" (Rosenstand, 2013, p. 487). The story about Dr. Jim Withers is an excellent example of someone who did not sit idly by and believe that medical care for the homeless was someone else's problem.
O'Reilly (2015) states, "For 23 years Withers has been treating the homeless -- under bridges, in alleys and along riverbanks." Dr. Withers realized that far too often homeless individuals seeking medical attention would set aside their ailments for a long period of time. When the individual did finally seek the appropriate medical attention, it would either be too late or the condition would be at a stage where it was apparent that earlier treatment could have prevented this. Rosenstand (2013) points out, "In an ethics of virtue the issue is to ask yourself what kind of person you want to be" (p. 477). Dr. Withers obviously wanted to be someone who could make a difference in his Pittsburgh community. O'Reilly (2015) reports, "Withers' one-man mission became a citywide program called Operation Safety Net. Since 1992, the group has reached more than 10,000 individuals and helped more than 1,200 of them transition into housing." Dr. Withers envisioned what kind of person he wanted to be and pursued that by helping others, which I found to be very admirable.
References
O'Reilly, C. (2015, May 8). America's homeless doctor brings health care to streets. Cable News Network. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/us/cnn-heroes-homeless-doctor-jim-withers/index.html
Rosenstand,
N. (2013). The moral
of the story: An introduction to ethics (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
No comments:
Post a Comment