By Joshua Parker. Most people are surprised to hear that if industrialised healthcare were a country it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. In 2019, the NHS was responsible for around 7% of England’s total carbon footprint; approximately 25 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. We can already see the effects […]
Latest articles
Doctors should not be forced to refer patients for controversial procedures
By David Albert Jones. Should doctors have a right not to provide legal but morally controversial procedures such as assisted suicide or abortion? And, if a doctor declines to provide some procedure, should the doctor be required to refer the patient to another doctor who will provide it? Where abortion or assisted suicide are legal, […]
Developing a practical resource to improve the ethical standing of gene therapy trials
By Rosie Munday, Hugh Davies and Stephanie Jones with Oxford “A” Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee Oxford “A” NHS REC is one of the four UK Research Ethics Committees flagged to review gene therapy proposals. Following the philosopher Mary Warnock’s sage advice “I do not believe you can make moral judgements unless, as far […]
The ethics of OrganEx
By Richard B. Gibson. Nature recently published a study by a team at Yale University in which the circulation and cellular activity of a pig’s vital organs – pancreas, liver, kidney, heart, lungs, and even brain – were restored over an hour after death. While exploratory, the study’s results are nonetheless remarkable, challenging the intuition […]
Getting clear on what counts as dignity-promoting dementia care
By Hojjat Soofi. There are increasing calls to offer more dignity-promoting care to people with dementia, particularly in long-term care settings. In Australia, the recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommends revising the foundational principles that underpin current care practices in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), which are home to many people […]
A new research ethics framework to consider environmental impacts requires a re-imagining of how health research is conceptualised
By Gabrielle Samuel and Cristina Richie. Developed countries’ health care systems comprise a significant proportion of their national carbon emissions (e.g., 6% in Great Britain) that, in turn, contribute to global emissions. These carbon emissions are compounded by other health issues such as climate change health hazards; social issues like war and environmental migration; and […]
“Their body, still their choice”
By Kyle van Oosterum. In ‘My body, not my choice: against legalised abortion’, Perry Hendricks offers an intriguing argument that suggests the state can coerce pregnant women into continuing to sustain their fetuses. This argument certainly piqued my interest given the recent overturning of Roe vs. Wade which means that the constitutional right to abortion […]
Recognising the rights of doctors within GMC guidelines
By Zeshan Qureshi and Mehrunisha Suleman. (As a medical professional, I will: Make the care of patients my first concern.) Doctors are trusted to make life-saving healthcare decisions. As a result, a duty of care towards patients must be a priority; no doctor should ever make a professional decision without appropriate consideration of the impact […]
Alcohol and pregnancy: meconium screening cannot be justified
By Rachel Arkell and Ellie Lee. Since the 1980s, some have suggested using meconium (an infant’s first faeces) as a source of biomarkers for establishing Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) – a term that has come into use to describe the identification of alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman. More recently, it has been presented as […]
Vaccine lotteries for children: Considering the ethics of financial incentives for children
By Nathan Hodson and Ray Jerram. The coronavirus pandemic had enormous consequences for children. Around the world, children missed months or even years of school, losing out on learning, exercise and friendship. Although they generally had far lower morbidity and mortality from SARS-Cov-2, the loss of grandparents and parents affected many. Children were also the […]