Homosexual Husband Case Summary

In the case study The Case of the Homosexual Husband (Veatch, 2012). A physicians is facing a dilemma between the duty of hippocratic principle of one patient and the confidentiality of another. A general practicing physician had 21 year old male patient he had treated for along time for sexually transmitted diseases and a confidant of the males sexual history and gay lifestyle. During a time in which premarital examinations were required by law, this same patient returned requesting the physician if he could perform one, and although the physician was surprised of this request it was none of his business try pry or judge. However, through the circumstance of conversation the physicians discovers that the patients fiancee is a current patient of his own and someone he was been treating for several years. it was at this moment the physician knew he was facing an ethical dilemma. The physician knew it was not his duty to enclose confidential information about man without his permission. But he physician that there were two potential problems to be concerned with. The first being that that the fiancee (his female Patient) would be at potential future risk because of the mans sexual history and …show more content…
What if the male patient discloses to the physician that he his is not willing to tell his fiancee, is the doctors choice to disclose the husband lifestyle to the wife ethically supportable? To whom dose the physician owe primary allegiance? which value trumps? Hippocratic oath or patient confidentiality. Clearly as a medical professional both of these ethical duties towards his patients play equal role, neither one more or less important than the other. But with the physician in the predicament he finds himself in the physician feels beneficence of one patient and the confidentiality of another can not