Fired from my job .....

So as most of you know who have gotten to know me since starting my life on Fetlife and having events I was fired back in February of 2025. It was my forever home or so i thought. i was in health care and loved my job. I loved my patients and they became like family to me. I still think about them daily. i think about one patient in particular who was a single dad of 4 and was out of no where diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. my last week working (unknowingly) he came in for treatment and near the very end of his treatment, i had to excuse myself so i could cry in private. I wonder how he is. if hes alive. how his children are doing. I miss my work. I miss the doctor i worked with so very much. which brings me to this topic and why i wanted to discuss this. should people in healthcare not do risky behaviour such as myself? and where is the line drawn to not infringe on their rights to participate in a protected activity? Or is it something that should kept in secrete? not shared with anyone?

Ethics in medicine and lifestyle choices often collide in complex ways. Medical professionals face daily decisions that affect personal values and societal norms. At the same time, individuals make lifestyle choices that influence their health outcomes and raise ethical questions about responsibility, autonomy, and fairness. Understanding how these two areas intersect helps us appreciate the challenges and opportunities in promoting health while respecting individual rights.

The Role of Ethics in Medical Practice

Medical ethics guide healthcare professionals in making decisions that respect patient dignity, promote well-being, and ensure fairness. The four main principles often referenced are:

• Autonomy: Respecting patients’ rights to make informed decisions about their care.

• Beneficence: Acting in the best interest of the patient.

• Non-maleficence: Avoiding harm to patients.

• Justice: Ensuring fair distribution of healthcare resources.

  
  

These principles become especially important when lifestyle factors influence health outcomes. For example, how should doctors approach patients who engage in risky behaviors such as smoking or excessive alcohol use? Should lifestyle choices affect the priority or type of care provided?

Personal Life Choices and The Ethical Implications

daily choices like sexual activity (promiscuous, abstinence, what you eat/drink, the amount of sleep you get, exercise/no exercise, smoking, illicit drug use, etc. many of These have me thinking....

• Personal responsibility vs. social determinants: To what extent are individuals responsible for their health when factors like socioeconomic status, education, and environment play a role?

• Stigma and bias: How can healthcare providers avoid judgment and discrimination against patients based on the 'lifestyle'?

• Resource allocation: Should healthcare resources prioritize patients who maintain healthier lifestyles?

  
  

  Example: Someone who needs a liver transplant but the reason they need the transplant is because of alcoholism

Ethical Challenges in Public Health and Lifestyle

Public health initiatives often aim to improve lifestyle behaviors at the population level. These efforts include campaigns against smoking, promoting physical activity, and regulating unhealthy food marketing. Ethical challenges arise in balancing individual freedom with, as a collective, their well-being at the forefront

But......

• How much should governments intervene in personal choices?

• Are incentives or penalties ethical or someone like myself being fired from your job

• where is the line drawn when it comes to an individual choosing 'The lifestyle' as their way, without taking away their natural born right to live that way. Who decides in the world of medicine if its harming them and others (if the precautions are being taken)

I am curious to know everyone's thoughts/views on this subject. please share them with me as it has consumed by mind ever since being fired from the job i loved the very most.