Students take on patient disclosure and data consent in medical ethics debate
The UTM Debate Club, Pre-Law Organization and Regenerative Medicine Club co-hosted their annual student debate on September 30.
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On September 30, the UTM Debate Club (UTMDC) held its annual student debate on medical ethics in the Student Centre, in collaboration with the UTM Pre-Law Organization (UTMPLO) and the UTM Regenerative Medicine Club (UTM RegenMed). Debaters argued two questions at the intersection of medicine, law, and ethics over three rounds.
The first round addressed the motion that physicians should disclose incidental findings to patients, even when the findings are unlikely to be medically significant. Incidental findings are results unrelated to the reason a patient was tested or examined.
The second round addressed whether physicians should be allowed to use patient data for medical research without explicit consent when the data is anonymized. The final round repeated the motion regarding incidental findings, with stances reversed.
Winners Anthony, Charlotte, and Apreet were chosen by judges after assessing all rounds of debate.
UTMDC President Edwina Ng, who is serving her second term as president, said the club chose two motions from a wider list of medical ethics concerns. Recent debates over COVID-19 vaccination have raised questions about how much say patients have over medical decisions. The motion regarding incidental findings asks how much disclosure causes anxiety for patients and how much information they deserve to hear.
Previous debates surrounded topics about abortion, AI in the workplace, and cancel culture. The clubs have moved away from those topics because the debates got somewhat heated and political. However, these topics may be re-introduced with a structure designed to limit bias.
UTM RegenMed President Doreen Zarrabian said, “We don’t want people to feel uncomfortable.”
Zarrabian explained UTM RegenMed members’ interest in the recent debate topic has to do with related first-year courses. These courses teach students how to respect research participants and patients’ consent and how to disclose and share their information.
Ng said the clubs complement each other. While UTMDC and UTMPLO handle “the argumentative portion and the speech portion,” UTM RegenMed brings knowledge of the medical field.
“I think something so unique to debate is [that] it’s not [focused on] one field in particular,” Ng said. Students can expect to argue positions that match or oppose their own beliefs, which pushes them to consider other viewpoints.
Ng added, “It’s important to understand and empathize where other people are coming from.” This is especially relevant to students in the debate community, many of whom want to be change-makers in medicine, law, or parliament.
UTM RegenMed has upcoming events with professors in the psychology, biology, and chemistry departments. The club also hosts an annual stem cell swap event with the Canadian Blood Services. 100 students joined the stem cell registry through the club last year. Students can keep an eye on their Instagram page @utm.regenmed.
UTMDC is also preparing for another event. “We [are] planning a big debate competition. We’ll have food, judges, and awards there,” said Ng. The judges’ panel will consist of professionals from the legal industry. The club is also looking to invite professors to the panel. Interested students can find updates on their Instagram page @utm.dc.
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