“Litigants and the general public are entitled to impartial justice, which may be something a judge who is heedful of ecclesiastical pronouncements cannot dispense.” From “Catholic Judges in Capital Cases” by Amy Coney Barrett and John H. Garvey Amy Coney Barrett co-authored those words. She is now a nominee for a lifetime appointment on the… Continue reading A Subject, not an Object
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A fight to the death
Ruth Bader Ginsburg reportedly died at her home, surrounded by family. But she very well could have died at her desk. She could have been alone, reading a brief, slumped over until a housekeeper found her. She may have died at home but she worked to the death. A very small part of me is… Continue reading A fight to the death
It has to be someone
“He was mortified. He couldn’t believe he had missed it.” We had a new patient in the clinic, a 6-week-old healthy baby girl who had been struggling with feeding and latching. Her mother was not a new mother and had insisted over and over again to her pediatrician that something wasn’t right. On one occasion,… Continue reading It has to be someone
Nobody taught me to be racist
No one taught me to be racist. They didn’t have to. There was only one Black family in my neighborhood. The patriarch used to walk around the block every evening, just before dark, never after. I don’t even know his name. We just called him “walking man.” He always waved back. I never wondered why… Continue reading Nobody taught me to be racist
A Common Oath
My thoughts are pulled to dark eyes. Narrowed ever so slightly. Thoughtful. Skeptical. Mistrustful. We are in an exam room. In a clinic. Nondescript. I’ve seen these eyes in many different rooms. Different people, different places. Same eyes. One time, the eyes belonged to the aunt of one of my patients. She asked rapid fire… Continue reading A Common Oath
Take a deep breath
Things suck right now. We have this scary new disease rampaging through the world. We don’t have a vaccine or treatment or any of the modern medical marvels on which we’ve all come to rely. We waited so long to respond to this threat that it has now overwhelmed us. And scared us. And inconvenienced… Continue reading Take a deep breath
I am not a soldier.
I do not know very much about the military. I do know that it is a favorite analogy of many, including my profession. We can all imagine the doctor issuing commands from the foot of a dying patient’s bed. Or a surgeon barking orders in the operating room as a patient bleeds on the table.… Continue reading I am not a soldier.
The “surgical approach” to COVID-19 is not as simple as you think
The internet has started labeling people like me as panicked alarmists. When I say people like me, I mean professionals or citizens who feel that these restrictive and protective public health measures are necessary. There are some people who are understandably panicking and a lot of people reasonably alarmed. I assure you, I am not… Continue reading The “surgical approach” to COVID-19 is not as simple as you think
The True Cost of COVID-19
My primary job as a physician is to preserve life. It is not a war with death. There are no weapons or enemies or battlegrounds. My job is a negotiation with death. We sit together, death, the patient, and I, discussing, mediating, talking, crying. I take this part of my job seriously and I am… Continue reading The True Cost of COVID-19
Coronavirus for Dummies
No, I don’t think you’re dummies. In fact you’re probably the smart one. You probably didn’t waste over $200,000 on a medical degree. But you’re in luck! I did. There is a ton of information floating around about coronavirus. A lot of it is about necessary public health measures or the political response. Some of… Continue reading Coronavirus for Dummies
Nobody asked me... 