Top headlines

• Education Department targets Smith over transgender students
• Taylor Swift using trademark to protect from AI deepfakes
• France first country to abolish slavery – only for it to be reversed

Lead story

The doctor-patient relationship can be tricky, if not downright awkward – especially in the face of uncertainty. As patients, we rely on our doctors to diagnose our ills and prescribe a path to healing. But what can we do if something about the doctor’s plan doesn’t feel right? And if we ask for a second opinion, will the doctor be angry or offended?

The concept of the second opinion didn’t emerge until the 1970s, writes Danielle Friedman, an assistant professor of surgery at Quinnipiac University, but its introduction has transformed care for patients, ultimately making them more confident in the treatments they receive.

In a piece that’s both philosophical and practical, Friedman maps out the history of the second opinion and offers some concrete suggestions for thinking through whether and how to seek one.

“Hopefully, knowing how empowering second opinions can be both for patients and clinicians can help you feel less guilty or awkward asking for one,” she writes.

[ Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails). ]