Dr. Conrad Murray: His Patients Love Him Despite Homicide Investigation

At His Houston Office, Doc Saw Seven Patients on His First Day Back

Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's private physician, is shown returning to work, on Monday, November 23, 2009, at his Houston location, in a video at RadarOnline.com. The doc, who is under investigation for the death of Michael Jackson, faced as many as seven patients waiting to see him for appointments.

Why did Dr. Conrad Murray return to work?

Dr. Conrad Murray is in serious financial trouble and has therefore returned to work for the money. Houston is his first choice because of a couple of reasons. Said his lawyer, "His decision to first return to practice in Houston was made because of the greater need these low-income patients have for his services and the prohibitive cost of reopening his clinic in Las Vegas."

Would it have been better for the doc to lie low given the recent investigation into the death of Michael Jackson? With at least seven appointments lined up and at least 15 lined up for Tuesday, as reported at RadarOnline.com, Dr. Murray has nothing to lose and everything to gain by seeing patients during the investigation. If his patients are willing to see him and not cancel their appointments, the appointments can help with Murray's rising financial problems.

Why are patients willing to see a doctor who is under investigation for murder?

Patients are not the only people who are on Dr. Conrad Murray's side. Said Dr. Robert Veatch, Professor of Medical Ethics at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, "If it is possible that Michael had made a rationally defensible decision that the risk was worth it for him, then a physician is within his rights to decide to cooperate in a legal behavior if he so chooses. He surely would have had the right not to provide the dangerous drug for off-label use, but he also has the right to decide it is a tolerable risk. If he does so after the patient is adequately informed, I don't see how we can fault him assuming that the lethal effect was not intended."