Now, here's the question: What rights are you entitled to?
It turns out, despite the fact that anybody can see how guilty you are, that you have many rights. You have the right to a fair trial. You have the right to be considered innocent until a jury of your peers declares you guilty. And you have the right to appeal the verdict (assuming, of course, that you won't like it).
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But
most importantly and above all else, you have the right to counsel, an
advocate, an individual who is obligated to defend you against all odds,
to the best of his or her abilities, and to protect your interests
against the world.
Many physicians find themselves envious of the unbending resolve with which lawyers are able to embrace their most basic role of advocate. Lawyers retain this luxury because society recognizes the legal system to be a morass of rules and regulations which ordinary citizens cannot hope to navigate on their own.
Any citizen who becomes embroiled in this morass is universally acknowledged to have the right to a lawyer who is expected to hold that citizen's interests above all others (within, of course, the constraints of the law). Even those accused of the most heinous of crimes are entitled to legal representation, and even if the evidence against them seems overwhelming, their lawyers are expected to jealously guard their rights. While the rest of us may become frustrated and angry when we observe the rights that accrue to (in our eyes) an obviously guilty party, on an objective level most of us understand the wisdom of such a system. And we shudder to think of the abuses that would occur if these protections were removed.
When you are sick, shouldn't you be entitled to the same protections as when you are caught committing a crime of violence?
Most of us think so (except, apparently, for those insurers, regulators, healthcare policymakers, etc.). And that's exactly what the doctor-patient relationship is supposed to do.
Sick people are no more capable of navigating a complex and hostile healthcare system than are accused felons a complex and hostile legal system, and are no less in peril if they run afoul of that system. And a patient's need of an advocate, a professional whose job it is to protect his or her individual interests against the conflicting aims of the "system," is no less vital than that of the felon. When you are sick, you should be entitled to at least the same protections as when you rob a Seven-Eleven. And the doctor-patient relationship is supposed to see that you are.
We all has rights. Here are nine rights you should know, as follows:Nine Constitutional Rights of the Accused:
(Does not include rights enumerated under the Eighth Amendment, but should)
- Indictment
(5th): No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise
infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury,
except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia,
when in actual service in time of war or public danger;
- Double-jeopardy (5th): nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb;
- Protection from self-incrimination (5th): nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,
- Due Process (5th): nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;
- Speedy,
public trial by jury (6th): the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed
- Informed of charges (6th): to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation;
- Confront witnesses (6th): to be confronted with the witnesses against him;
- Call defense witnesses (6th): to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor,
- Assistance of Counsel (6th): to have the assistance of counsel for his defends .http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_nine_rights_you_are_entitled_to_if_you_are_accused_according_to_the_US_Constitution%27s_Bill_of_Rights
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