Maria Jose Gonzalez, a medical student at Valle De Mexico in the city of Reynosa, south of Hidalgo, Texas, has sparked widespread outrage after a picture of herself smiling beside a terminally ill patient in the background has been uploaded and shared through social media.

The photograph, uploaded through WhatsApp, was leaked onto Facebook, where it quickly went viral. Dressed in a uniform and with a stethoscope around her neck, Gonzales smiled widely as she posed for a selfie, according to Breitbart.

Netizens were offended the picture, which was widely considered distasteful. However, many considered the photo's caption to be even worse.

"I went to do the rounds and this lady was dying so selfieeee," the caption read.

The viral photo quickly gained notoriety, with netizens condemning the tastelessness of the selfie. Critics were also quick to point out that the lack of sensitivity on Gonzales' part has violated the sick patient's rights, reports The Daily Mail.

Gonzales, however, has denied the allegations, stating that the picture is already dated and that she was personally given permission by the sick patient to take a selfie.

"The picture has been misunderstood, I took it some time ago and yesterday the lady was very sick but I had struck up a rapport with her," she wrote on her Facebook page.

"She told me some things about her life and as it was my first day of my internship, I wanted to have a souvenir. Yes I took several pictures but I did ask permission and she did agree," she added.

Valle De Mexico has released a statement regarding the incident, stating that a full inquiry has been initiated, and that Gonzales' actions do not reflect the values of the school. 

Selfies have been a defining characteristic of the present generation, with celebrities and everyday people alike posting self-taken pictures on social media, as covered by this HNGN article.