By Aditi Srivastava. The intersection of laws relating to medical termination of pregnancy and criminal procedure gives rise to complex and critical medico-legal issues. This blog post delves into one such issue, that is, the role of foetal tissue preservation in cases of medical termination of pregnancy involving sexual assault victims, in the Indian context. […]
Latest articles
How to reduce the carbon footprint of anaesthesia
By Joshua Parker, Nathan Hodson, Paul Young & Cliff Shelton. If asked what an anaesthetist does, most would picture a doctor placing a mask on a patient’s face and asking them to count backwards from ten to one. As they count, they inhale a colourless gas and before passing the halfway mark their countdown stops […]
Outgrowing the infancy? The concept of “Meaningful Human Control” in health
By Eva Maria Hille, Patrik Hummel and Matthias Braun. It takes its first steps over time, some of which are successful, some which aren’t. Its steps are becoming more regular and steady until the tempo picks up and it strives to run. As time goes by, it’s outgrowing its infancy. Similar to the steps of […]
“Good Medical Practice” and the Climate Crisis
By Rammina Yassaie. Primum non nocere. First do no harm. Words that are ingrained into every doctor from the moment they graduate medical school, as the resounding ethical principle to live and practice by. Medicine is often thought of as a career that involves ‘saving lives’, but how commonly are doctors encouraged to consider the […]
Allocating physicians to rural areas in Japan: Validity and ethical considerations
By Masatoshi Matsumoto. Physicians predominantly cluster in urban areas, often leaving rural populations underserved. This phenomenon is observed worldwide. Consequently, the question arises: is it both necessary and justifiable for governments to allocate physicians to rural regions? In addressing this issue, the Japanese government has adopted an approach involving the establishment of Jichi Medical University […]
Genetic research and the collective good: participants as leaders
By Ilaria Galasso and Susi Geiger. Medical ethics has long centered around the question of how to balance the public or common good with individual rights. Different approaches to ethics would prioritize different values in the context of medical research participation. Well-established moral principles provide solid arguments both for an obligation to participate in medical […]
Living kidney donors in England should have the option to be paid
By Daniel Rodger and Bonnie Venter. The problem The demand for kidneys required for transplant cannot be satisfied by the existing supply and this deficit continues to increase annually. This is a worldwide phenomenon that is being driven by steady increases in kidney disease and the comorbidities that can cause it. Globally, more than 850 […]
Who should give away their uterus?
By J. Y. Lee. Uterus transplantation (UTx) is an experimental surgery which can enable women with absolute uterine factor infertility (AUFI) to receive a healthy uterus and experience a pregnancy. Since the first successful live birth via UTx in 2014 (Gothenburg, Sweden), more than 40 live births via UTx have taken place. While UTx is […]
Consensual lethal organ harvesting: dissecting ‘double effect donation’
By Anthony McCarthy and Helen Watt. Imagine I am an altruistic person in good health who is struck by how many people my organs (heart, lungs etc) could save if I became a live donor. Perhaps my life is not going well, and I want to make a greater contribution to society than I have […]
The moral vulnerability of clinician teams
By Bernadette Wren. The authority of clinicians is underpinned by a responsibility to ensure that all treatment decisions are made at the intersection of evidence, law and ethics. We hear a lot in the public square about the science and practice of evidence-gathering, much of it unrealisable. And occasionally the law gets a look-in. But […]