The physician's obligation to speak out against oppression: The lives of others

This chapter discusses the social and moral obligation of physicians to speak out against societal oppression and the violation of human rights. In the same way that they choose different specialties that suit their varied temperaments, the type and intensity of the activism and advocacy that physicians engage in should only be dictated by their priorities and modus operandi. The film The Lives of Others (2006) sets the stage for the discussion. It tells the story of Captain Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a devoted Stasi agent assigned to conduct 24-hour surveillance on the nation's beloved playwright, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). As time goes on, he begins to admire the colorful and vibrant intellectual and creative lives of his charges. Hence, despite discovering clear evidence indicating their betrayal of his Communist ideals, Wiesler chooses to cover up their "treason".