Benjamin Freedman | Offering Truth: One Ethical Approach to the Uninformed Cancer Patient
Freedman details an approach to ameliorating the tensions that can arise among and between health-care providers, patients, and family members over disclosing the truth about cancer diagnoses, particularly in cases in which the family's cultural background does not include Western medicine. His "offering truth" approach allows patients to determine exactly how much truth about a diagnosis they are willing to hear. Family members are generally happy to accept a patient's own desires in this matter.
-Freedman points out that while patients have a right to know the truth about their diagnoses, they do not have
A) a duty to know.
B) a privilege to know.
C) the ability to understand it.
D) the capacity to know.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Freedman argues that while patients have a right to know the truth about their diagnoses, they do not have a duty to know, meaning they can choose how much information they want to receive.