How can dentists show leadership in the face of disrespect for citizens?
December 8, 2016
Highlights
Dr. Deborah Battrum, an endodontist from British Columbia, spoke with Dr. John O’Keefe about an issue that has been on her mind lately. Since the election of a new American President who denigrates women, minorities and those with disabilities, Deborah feels uncomfortable purchasing equipment and supplies made in the United States.
This issue is important and close to Deborah’s heart; she feels as Canadian dentists we should not be supporting goods and products from countries whose morals and values do not align with ours. Currently, it is not easy to find products or supplies from other countries other than Germany or Japan.
Canadian dentists have and can play a role in responsible leadership and stewardship.
With protectionism, it is good to shop at home.
It’s funny how liberals are so quick to judgement when things don’t pan out as they would like it to be. ” “Distribution of wealth ” they think is the higher moral ground. Being politically correct is their mantra and I interpret as a form of white lie -(are there degrees of lying that are justifiable ?) I think you are on a slippery slope of fuzzy thinking when you don’t place the welfare of your patient ahead of your own politics if you choose products that may not be a good as those coming from a country who you deem to be morally inferior to your “standards” Quite frankly I don’t see how this has anything to do with providing high quality dentistry You need to keep your focus on dentistry and forget this politicizing of our profession. You might find a better cause if you were to crusade against the unfair progressive taxation system that is the most irritating form of wealth distribution
The American people spoke. We must respect democracy. Organized dentistry should not take a political stance or even appear to take a political stance
I was bewildered when i saw this post. I have a personal commitment to buy the finest products for my patients that can be obtained. I feel it is inappropriate to use less than the very best regardless of what the patient is able to pay, how easy or difficult it may be to use a certain product, or my own political beliefs. I can think of no reason that justifies using a product that is not the very best that can currently be obtained when my patient has entrusted me with treating his/her body.
Wondering if Dr Battrum buys goods from China…ridiculous. People are really losing their mind over this…
“Since the election of a new American President who denigrates women, minorities and those with disabilities, Deborah feels uncomfortable purchasing equipment and supplies made in the United States.”——I certainly do not feel that it is appropriate for our association to be posting articles such as this. It shows that our leadership has NO CLASS.
Has the CDA really run out of content where we are now getting involved with foreign affairs and politics.Are you now going to give equal time to the “Far Right” seeing that we have heard from the “Far Left”?.Besides if Dr. Battrum actually pays attention most of what we buy is made in China and the metal instruments are made in Pakistan both of which have a much worse track record of human rights abuses than the USA.However she does not seem to have a problem with that.Please stick to content that will benefit the Dental Community as a whole and lets not get involved with people with a hidden agenda.
I commend Dr. Battrum for being brave enough to speak out, even though she could have anticipated scorn from some segments of the profession. It is my sense that her point has far less to do with the political process in any jurisdiction, than about respect for all citizens in a civilized society.
I believe that she sees dentists as leaders with a privileged position in society and it is our duty to speak out when we see disrespect towards certain segments of society. We cannot always hide behind fixing teeth as an excuse to stand silently by when we see injustice. She simply wants us to articulate concerns rather than keep our heads down – as we learned to do when we wanted to get out of dental school unscathed.
We have received this comment to our email oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca and the sender has requested to share the comment and remain anonymous:
As a practising Canadian dentist who also represents two of the denigrated sub-populations that Dr. Battrum is referring to, I feel that many of the viewers are perhaps misinterpreting this post. The post speaks of not buying good quality dental products from the US which I can understand from an emotional perspective; however, this is unrealistic given our very limited options.
The real issue here is that we should all RESPECT the voice, opinion, cultural backgrounds of one another. When I heard this interview, I heard Dr. Battrum, asking us to remember that we are all the same regardless of colour, race, creed and invisible or visible handicaps especially as she referred to her past experiences as a female dental student and dentist. It was shared with me that another dentist wrote to Oasis asking for us dentists to support one another, if a patient came asking for a second opinion or something and not to “throw the other dentist under the bus” especially since we don’t know the circumstances of the past treatment. The basic issue is really the same here – RESPECT FOR OURSELVES AND OUR COLLEAGUES.
It’s good that the CDA publishes posts like this and others, and engages Canadian dentists into discussions. It was quite interesting to read colleagues’ opinions, try to understand their beliefs, values, etc.
To Dr. Battrum: the American people did not just decide they want to have an election. Fortunately or unfortunately, the time has come for an election and, perhaps, for a change. It was a long process where American citizens had a chance to familiarize themselves with whoever they voted for.
To call on the profession to stop ordering dental supplies from the States is a nonsense. There are other ways you could consider to show your disagreement with the outcome of the election. Perhaps, you could stop your vacation trips to the US or abandon taking CE courses there.
I actually use many products manufactured in the US and can’t imagine what I would do if the supply would be suddenly interrupted. Not every Canadian dentist wants to use/can afford to buy European products.