Healthcare ethics: resources for small group discussion
Category: BriefCACE
Sunday, 01 February 2009 by (misc)
I have surprised some non-medical people by talking about the dominance of a principle-based approach to medical ethics. Mostly, they’ve heard of Peter Singer and his brand of utilitarianism, and assume that it is this kind of ethical calculus that underpins the moral choices doctors and hospitals must make. Maybe this is true for the occasional hospital administrator or politician, but when push comes to shove I’ve never heard anyone seriously take this tack for dealing with front-line moral issues. The reality is that the medical profession has long recognised the inability of simplistic systems like utilitarianism to grapple with the complex issues of modern healthcare...
Download full article below.
