Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good …
WEBThis paper argues that the four prima facie principles—beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice—afford a good and widely acceptable basis for ‘doing good medical ethics’. It confronts objections that the approach is simplistic, incompatible with a virtue-based approach to medicine, that it requires respect for autonomy always to have priority when the principles ...
Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5th edn.
WEBBeauchamp T L, Childress J F. Oxford University Press, 2001, £19.95, pp 454. ISBN 0-19-514332-9. The Principles of Biomedical Ethics by Beauchamp and Childress is a classic in the field of medical ethics. The first edition was published in 1979 and “unleashed” the four principles of respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and …
Why is informed consent important? - Journal of Medical Ethics
WEBDecision-making is a prominent theme in this edition of the Journal of Medical Ethics . Our feature article examines the relationship between trust and informed consent. Informed consent is, of course, central to the decision-making process in medicine. In addition, several articles consider decision-making in medicine from a variety of angles. In our feature article, Nir Eyal attacks attempts ...
Good reasons to vaccinate: mandatory or payment for risk?
WEBMandatory vaccination, including for COVID-19, can be ethically justified if the threat to public health is grave, the confidence in safety and effectiveness is high, the expected utility of mandatory vaccination is greater than the alternatives, and the penalties or costs for non-compliance are proportionate. I describe an algorithm for justified mandatory vaccination.
WEBEthical decision making during a healthcare crisis: a resource ... ... 0 ...
Bioethics and the value of disagreement - Journal of Medical Ethics
WEBAug 30, 2024 · Antagonistic cooperation: cultural tensions as creative resource. The concept of ‘antagonistic cooperation’ has very different origins. It arises from a strand of African-American thought that finds its clearest expression in the writings of Ralph Ellison, Albert Murray and more recently, Robert O’Meally.22 There is some uncertainty about the origins of this use of the concept.22 However ...
Clinical ethics and the duty of care - Journal of Medical Ethics
WEBScholarly inquiry into medical ethics should inform and guide those involved in making challenging ethical decisions.1 It should strive to be integral to the work of health care professionals and health care institutions2 and clinical relevance seems essential for this to happen. To acknowledge the importance of clinical relevance for medical ethics, the Journal of Medical Ethics has ...
After-birth abortion: why should the baby live? - Journal of …
WEBAbortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth ...
Assisted suicide by oxygen deprivation with helium at a Swiss right …
WEBBackground In Switzerland, right-to-die organisations assist their members with suicide by lethal drugs, usually barbiturates. One organisation, Dignitas, has experimented with oxygen deprivation as an alternative to sodium pentobarbital. Objective To analyse the process of assisted suicide by oxygen deprivation with helium and a common face mask and reservoir bag. Method This study examined ...
The case for banning cigarettes | Journal of Medical Ethics
WEBLifelong smokers lose on average a decade of life vis-à-vis non-smokers. Globally, tobacco causes about 5–6 million deaths annually. One billion tobacco-related deaths are predicted for the 21st century, with about half occurring before the age of 70. In this paper, we consider a complete ban on the sale of cigarettes and find that such a ban, if effective, would be justified.