RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITY
The following is an excerpt from Bill Moyers’ interview with psychiatrist and author Willard Gaylin, who has specialized in the field of bioethics: GAYLIN: Absolutely. We talk about civil liberties, certainly something I agree with. But if you dare mention the concept of responsibilities, duties, or obligations along with these liberties, you can get into trouble. For example, there was an article in the New York Times saying that individuals in the high-risk categories for AIDS should not be coerced into being tested, that they have a right not to know. I answered in an op-ed piece and said, I accept that you have a right not to know, but if you choose not to be tested, you have a moral responsibility to act as though you had been tested and had been tested positively. And while I expressed compassion for the victim groups, I said that even being a victim does not allow you the privilege of being a victimizer.…
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