Fan And Li's Argumentative Analysis

Reconstruction There are vast dissimilarities between Western medical practices and Confucian Chinese traditions in regards to the concept of truth-telling. Fan’s and Li’s article, which focuses on the Chinese perspective, asserts that under certain conditions, it is morally acceptable to withhold information to the patient about their illness. This is only allowable if both the family and the physician concur with the decisions. The main argument being made by Fan and Li is that non-disclosure will ultimately benefit the patient since it will alleviate the trauma and anxiety that ensues with the news of a fatal illness (p. 69). Often times, patients have had destructive reactions upon a diagnosis of a terminal disease. Therefore, physicians and families have favored

One could view disclosing the extent of the patient’s health to someone other than the patient as an invasion of privacy. In accordance with that notion, patients should have the right to do what they wish, without worrying about the physician compromising their wishes. If the physician discovers something abnormal, the patient should be the first to be notified about their medical conditions and given the choice whether to disclose it. Many significant decisions are needed to be made throughout the course of the treatments. Lack of communication or conflicting views may prompt the family to make wrong decisions that opposes the patient’s desires. Moreover, as the disease progresses, the patient will eventually have somewhat of an inclination of what is taking place in the body regardless of the non-disclosures. Conclusively, there are both beneficial and negative features of Fan’s and Lin’s argument. Concocting an intermediate between Western medical practices and traditional Chinese practices can prove to be challenging due to the blatant