By Daniel Sokol This post adds to the literature on AI in medical ethics by testing how freely available AI models perform when presented with realistic ethical scenarios relevant to clinical practice. In May 2025, I wrote a blog about ChatGPT’s performance in an ‘honesty test’ for clinicians. It scored an impressive 43/44, outperforming the […]
Latest articles
When embryo-likeness has moral consequences
By Dr. Johnny Sakr Everyone agrees that stem cell–derived embryo models are not embryos. The harder question is whether that biological distinction is doing more ethical work than it can plausibly bear. In my recent response in the Journal of Medical Ethics, I argue that much of the disagreement about embryo models turns on a […]
LLMs and mental health: A problem still unaddressed
By Bosco Garcia, Eugene Chua and Harman Brah ChatGPT made tragic news at the end of the summer with the case of Adam Raine, a teenage boy who, after a series of conversations with the model, ended up taking his life. The parents have initiated a lawsuit, alleging that ChatGPT acted as a “suicide coach”, […]
The ethically problematic allure of philanthrotainment story telling
By Jeremy Snyder Using entertainment to encourage giving for health-related causes isn’t new. However, health-related ‘philanthrotainment’ has evolved recently with the help of online content creators like Jimmy Donaldson, more commonly known as MrBeast. My article “The Ethics of Online Health-Related Philanthrotainment” discusses how this marriage of social media influencers and philanthropic fundraising can create […]
Why I changed my mind about the dead donor rule
By Lawrence Masek Must organ transplant teams wait until a potential donor dies before removing a vital organ? I used to answer yes, because removing a vital organ from a living donor seemed intuitively wrong, and I assumed that anyone who answered no either accepted a consequentialist view of organ transplants or denied that potential […]
Assisted dying in England and Wales: Arranging provision and at what cost?
By Alexandra Mullock, Suzanne Ost, and Nancy Preston With lawful assisted dying (AD) on the horizon in England and Wales with the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and elsewhere in and around the UK (Isle of Man, Jersey, Scotland), important questions about how best to establish a service to provide safe access to […]
The moral core of medicine, moral authority and ethical presence
By Hana Abbasian Medicine occupies a distinctive moral position in society. Medical authority is grounded in an ethical orientation toward care, healing, and understanding human vulnerability. This relational perspective is sustained through trust, presence, and responsiveness to suffering. In my recent article in the Journal of Medical Ethics, I examine how medical ethics is transformed […]
Can unpredictability undermine consent? Rethinking the transformative experience objection
By Dr. Johnny Sakr Public discussion about abortion often assumes that informed consent works in a straightforward way: a person receives information, weighs risks and benefits, and decides. Joona Räsänen’s recent article challenges this by arguing that abortion is a transformative experience, a decision that can fundamentally alter a person’s values, identity, and outlook. If […]
Gaza and boycotts – an ethical perspective
By Zohar Lederman As I write this, the Jewish Film Festival is playing in Hong Kong. After buying tickets, I learned that some people are boycotting the event to protest Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Another friend has suggested that Israeli academics should expect and understand being boycotted for the same reason. In a recent conference […]
Variants of unknown significance in stem cell donation – new dilemmas in genomic practice
By Helena Carley, Kate Sahan, Helen Hanson, Katie Snape, Sarah Westbury, Michael J Parker, & Anneke M Lucassen Current popular discourse surrounding genomics is frequently one of ‘clarity’ and ‘transformation’, concepts projected by the NHS 10 year plan and echoed in the media. Technological advances in genomics over recent years have been impressive: whole genome […]