So we had a bit of a light debate in #pizzahut this evening and, as expected due to the latest hot topic, we discussed whether or not Doctor Conrad Murray was correctly found guilty or involuntary manslaughter.

As someone who has studied medical law, I felt that they were correct in finding a guilty verdict. My reasoning? A Doctor, must, at all times, do what is in the best interest of the patient. Now in administering a potentially lethal cocktail of painkillers, no matter how bad pain Michael Jackson was feeling, Doctor Conrad Murray's administration of this would not be in the best interest of Michael Jackson. Therefore, as he did not do what was in the best interest of his patient, and his patient died as a result of this, the guilty verdict was correct.

I then posed the following problem to the room based on this 'best interest of the patient' theory.

There are conjoined twins born sharing a heart, lungs, etc. Medical evidence indicated that "Jodie" is the stronger sibling who was sustaining the life of "Mary." Mary is only survived birth due to a shared common artery that enabled her sister Jodie to oxygenate blood for both twins. If surgically separated Jodie could live but Mary would die. However, should they have not been separated and there would have been a chance that they could have died before they were one year old.

Now what should the doctors do? Taking into account that separating them is not in the best interests of Mary, as she will die. But not separating them would not be in the interest of Jodie, as he life would dramatically shorten.

What are your thoughts?

Ps thanks to LolaDelaney, Steve & Hickey for the riverting debate!

Very interesting debate indeed.

As I said, for my tuppence worth, given that a doctor's duty of care is to both lives, it would go directly against his Hippocratic oath in the immediate sense were he to choose to end the life of one twin for the sake of the other. I know that the aim is to preserve life overall, but by separating the twins, in my mind he is then contradicting his vows in order to fulfill them - i.e. taking one life for the sake of another.

This is one of those debates that will always have two polar opposite sides fighting vehemently for what they believe in though...so let's not have any handbags at dawn here.

I think that they should choose to save Jodie, and allow at least one of the twins a chance to have a longer and healthier life rather than keep them together and have them both suffer a life together. But then again I'm also one who believes in the death penalty so to me it is fine for a life to be taken if it is in the better interest of the other. Strange enough I'm against abortion though... What a conflicted person I am over one life over another.

I would wonder, though, about the massive psychological repurcussions for Jodie. To know that you began life as one half of a pair of twins, physically joined together, and that your life was held to be of higher value than that of your sibling? That's got to guarantee a lifetime of therapy and an immense emotional struggle.

Even though Mary is only kept alive via a single arterial connection to her sister, she is nonetheless alive...I just can't quite discount that.

i don't subscribe to  alot of this kind of debate , and my theory often goes like this.

"medical and surgical science today is such that it is not at all unbelieveable that mary could survive."

but, i cannot and will not be the person to decide on the fate of two infants. mabye that's why i'll never be a doc.

Philli, there is no chance of Mary surviving. She has no organs of her own, and relies on a single artery to take blood and oxygen from Jodie's heart into her own. Separation would equal instant death. So to take it on, how would it be in Mary's best interest to be separated?

"However, should they have not been separated and there would have been a chance that they could have died before they were one year old."

Being the student of biochemistry I am. I'd explore ALL avenues that would benefit both of the twins before making a irreversible, life changing decision.