Maryanne Loses Her Job

Even though Maryanne's actions made her decision certain, it didn't make it any easier.  Firing people hadn't been the reason she went to medical school, sacrificed so much to be where she was now. She was a long way from Bhopal, and sometimes it got very lonely here.  But she was doing the career she dreamed of, and putting away a lot of money for her future, at least once she paid off her college loans.

Dr. Mala Jhadau was the only obstetrician/gynecologist in Dixon County, part of a program to attract doctors to rural areas, as many physicians were not happy making 200k to 300k a year - they wanted to make two or three times that.  Most people went into Waycross or even Brunswick.  The Crowley Care Center was not really set up for births, so you really had to go somewhere else.  Dr. Jhadau's patients went to Satilla Regional in Waycross for the actual birth.  She was great for consulting, had a tremendous rapport with her patients, and often spent more time with them than a more monetarily conscious physician would.

Most of her patients referred to her as Dr. Mala, and she was fine with that.  It helped set them at ease with her.  She wasn't the type of doctor that wanted to be seen as an arrogant, all-knowing authority figure.  Almost all the women she saw were very nice and easily opened up to her.  A handful were thrown by her dark skin color, and her Hindu background.  Once in a great while she would get inquiries about her religion, and since there wasn't a temple nearby, if she might want to stop into their church, you know, just to get a spiritual uplift and learn a little more about Jesus.  One woman, Dotty Mathers, did tell her that it was unfortunate that a woman as nice as her was going to go straight to the fiery pits of hell when she died.

The only other problem she had was facing the attitude about something that was related to why she was going to have to fire Maryanne MacDonald.  It grieved her, but she really had no choice.  The American style of practicing medicine, particularly in rural areas, somehow left the doctor in charge of entrepreneurial and managerial decisions that she would rather not be involved with.

Maryanne came into her office.  She was a pleasant young woman, early twenties, had her LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) certificate, and seemed kind and responsive to her patients.  She was of average height for a woman, a little heavyset, with a plain but caring face.  As she closed the door, her normally smiling face was lined with worry, as she had an inkling why Dr. Jhadau had called her in.

Dr. Jhadau gestured to a chair in front of her desk, a comfortable wingback chair where many of her patients had sat to receives news, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes welcome, and sometimes unexpected.  Maryanne sat down, her hands slightly trembling.

"When a patient comes in here to consult with me and we discuss their medical situation, what is the most import thing they can expect from me?"  Dr. Jhadau began.

"That you're smart and that you know what you're talking about?" Maryanne answered, hoping beyond hope that the answer really wasn't something else.

Dr. Jhadau flashed the smallest and briefest of smiles, and then turned serious again.  "Well, we can certainly hope that's true. No, what I mean is confidentiality.  When a patient talks to me, and we discuss their medical condition, they have every right to expect that the conversation is completely private, just between her and her doctor.  Do you understand that, Maryanne?"

So it was going to be about it.  Maryanne sighed heavily.  "Yes, I do.  I understand the importance of that." 

"But you went ahead and broke a confidence anyway, didn't you?  If you knew that was important, why did you disregard it?" Dr. Jhadau asked, knowing the answer but trying to lead Maryanne into it.  "Why would you violate this sacred trust and tell Pastor Dan?"

Maryanne straightened up in her chair.  If she was going to go there, she might as well go all the way.  "Because there are more important things than doctor/patient privilege. My relationship and commitment to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is much more important to me.  And if I can do anything to save a child, I'm going to do it!"

"So you took it upon yourself to tell Pastor Dan about Racine Steel's pregnancy?  You decided it was your place to reveal something to somebody completely uninvolved with it?"

Maryanne stuck out her chin, defiant.  "I heard her start to talk to you in the exam room.  She asked you about options to murder that unborn child.  You won't fully explain the horrible consequences of that, even with the new state laws."  Georgia had been passing laws right and left to restrict abortion and make it increasingly difficult.

Dr. Jhadau was a patient and tolerant woman, but this had frayed the edges of her restraint.  "That is a conversation that unfortunately Racine started in your presence and then finished up here in my office.  Let me be clear.  What we said or didn't is absolutely none of your business. I follow the letter of the law, and I find a way to honestly discuss all options with my patients."

"And Pastor Dan can make it clear what that murder will entail, and how it could impact her for the rest of her life, her life here and in the life to come."  Pastor Dan was the head pastor of one of Crowley's Baptist mega-churches, New Life Baptist.  They focused on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality, and preached mostly on Revelations and Isaiah, and centered on being born again, the prosperity gospel and the rapture.  They were instrumental in electing several very conservative politicians in the area.

Dr. Jhadau sighed.  She had taken a chance in hiring Maryanne.  She knew she was religiously conservative, but it was impossible to staff from top to bottom in this area without dipping into that pool.  Easily ninety percent of those that went to church in Crowley went to churches that were like Pastor Dan's or very close to it.  The vast majority were Baptist, but there were also others like Pentecostal and most of the Methodists (there was one United Methodist Church that was a little more mainstream than the rest).  She didn't care about any of that, as long as they let her do her doctoring they way she thought it best for her patients.

Now she had found out that several teens had driven Racine Steel to Pastor Dan's house for an "intervention".  This had deeply hurt and embarrassed Racine.  It wasn't even Racine's church.  Although Baptist, she went to Crowley Second Baptist.  This never should have happened.  And Dr. Jhadau was determined it would never happen again.

Dr. Jhadau reflected for a minute, and a bad thought crept into her mind.  Maryanne had been there for six months.  "Have you told Pastor Dan about other patients?"

There was no point in lying now, Maryanne thought.  God would not want her to.  "Yes, Dr. Jhadau, I have.  Whenever I feel like there's a possibility that a woman might choose badly, it is my God given responsibility to make sure she is fully informed.  I pray on each patient I find out about, and God leads me to the right answer."

Dr, Jhadau's heart sank.  How could she be so oblivious, so inattentive as to let this go on?  Well, it was time to put an end to it.  "Well, you will now have plenty of time to pray and reflect.  Gather up your things and get out of this office.  I don't want you to ever set foot in this office again.  There will be no recommendation from me, do not use me as a reference, and just be grateful that I have no intention to prosecute."

Maryanne got out of the chair and leaned onto Dr. Mala Jhadau's desk, staring directly at her.  "I'm not worried.  The Lord will provide." 

Dr, Jhadau said nothing as Maryanne MacDonald flounced out.

The irony was that Racine Steel had decided to carry her baby to term.  But Mala believed in confidences.  How a proud girl was going to feel about being outed and harangued, that was anyone's guess.

Why, it might even lead Racine to change her mind.