Little lies often turn into big problems. I know, because my little lies almost cost me my future happiness. You see, my father had been very ill. He had had a heart attack, and his heart was weakening. As he became progressively more sick, my Mother and I decided to make an appointment with a new doctor to decide how to best make him healthier. The doctor referred us to a surgeon who specializes in cardiology. I must say I was surprised at how young he was. My mother, also, was a little concerned that this young surgeon did not have the background or expertise to deal with my fatherÆs heart problems. After a number of tests were conducted, the cardiac surgeons told us very frankly that, in order for my father to survive, he would need o-pen heart surgery. After a lengthy family discussion, we got my father to agree. The surgery was performed. Thank God, my father now is looking forward to a long life.
Ah! That is not the cause of my ethical problem. I began spending a lot of time with that surgeon after the operation and during my fatherÆs convalescence. I liked him at first. And, that feeling grew stronger. The more we talked, the more both of us began to have feelings for one another. We began to date and started a relationship both of us hoped would last a lifetime. The ethical dilemma, of course, is how to tell my Father that I was now seeing the man who operated on him without his feeling that there is something improper about this relationship, or my fatherÆs feeling that there was something ôwrongö or ôindecentö about my dating his surgeon.
My ônewö boyfriend kept urging me to tell my father. He felt it was only fair to make sure that my family would understands that our feelings for one another had nothing to do with my fatherÆs operation, or his job as a surgeon. It was just a mutual attraction that began when we first met for professional reasons. I said I would tell my father. But I kept putting...