PRIVACY IN SOME CASES SHOULD HAVE LIMITS
Confidentiality is an act of respect. When someone chooses to take a person into confidence, it is because that person is held in the highest regard. Whether it is about a personal or professional matter, it rings the bell of utmost trust. And it is a critical element in the development of a rich relationship between two parties. Confidentiality, when honoured, is also a manifestation of loyalty and faithfulness.
Most of us require or rely on it in order to do our jobs properly. Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying that: “We count on the space of trust that confidentiality provides. When someone breaches that trust, we are all worse off for it.” Issues get distorted, blown out of shape and, consequently, cause actions of ineptness and recklessness
From personal experience that has massively impacted my life, I couldn’t agree with Mrs. Clinton more. Aside from an immaturity that stems from breaching there is a coupling of immorality. But there is a big BUT! These past few weeks we have seen and heard about two young people who went missing. Julie Surprenant was never to be seen again after she disappeared more than 10 years ago. Now, we have Maxime Richard, who has been missing for two weeks. Their disappearances are unquestionably the results of different circumstances but the families bear common threads
I have met Julie’s dad a number of times and I am friends and neighbour of Maxime’s family. I cannot project the pain that these people have experienced. The fear of the unknown in this life-altering experience is paralyzing at so many levels. Not knowing the whereabouts of one’s child, whether he/she is safe, if you will ever see him/ her again, gouges the soul. It robs one’s peace of mind while feelings of guilt, failure, heartache, anxiety, loss and lack of closure weave and fester in the incessant drumming of the unknown. No matter what, this loss is not simply about the person who is a victim of a crime or of an illness. It profoundly affects all those who are within a close periphery.
The egocentric side of society needs to be taken to task. It’s time to exercise vision and sensibility beyond conscienceless self.
Those nurses who tended to Julie’s alleged murderer had information that would have surely allowed the Surprenant family the possibility of arriving at closure. If acted on, the family might have had answers that could finally give them peace of mind. Instead they were denied six years of critical healing time that only comes with closure.
In the same vein as Julie’s alleged murderer who was a repeat sex offender, other recidivists do not deserve privacy regarding their whereabouts. A list of sex offenders must be made public so that the communities where they live can prepare preventive measures that would protect their own.
In Maxime’s situation, where it appears there is a quest for some kind of better and more spiritual world, on this planet or beyond, i worry about the rights of the church to provide sanctuary. Is he still alive? And those of the cloth will not provide information because they have the “right” to withhold. If he has sought refuge in a church, are they withholding information that the authorities are seeking? Are they exercising their entitlement to absolute secrecy?
Where does the morality end and the immorality start? Someone said that ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.
Ethics of confidentiality must be reviewed, considered and redressed especially when it comes to the safety of our citizens in life, death and recovery.