By Sanne van der Marck Although abortion is an important component of women’s reproductive healthcare in many countries, it continues to be a highly debated issue. Central to this debate is the moral status of the foetus and the rights of the pregnant individual, in particular their right to bodily autonomy. And while medical risks […]
Latest articles
Teens on the ethics panel: Why IRBs should hear from young people
By Samuel Asiedu Owusu and Claudia Passos-Ferreira Pediatric research is often designed for children but reviewed without them. When research involves children, adults make the ethical calls. They design the studies, write the consent forms, and sit on the ethics committees that approve them. They don’t always get it right. Listening to children can make […]
Invisible prescribers: the risks of Google’s AI summaries
By Hannah van Kolfschooten and Nicole Gross With digital technologies, your patients have a ‘doctor in their pocket’. But something new is happening when they search online for medical advice. Typing a question such as “Can I take ibuprofen with blood pressure tablets?” or “What helps against chest pain?” into Google no longer produces the […]
Why ‘just culture’ needs philosophy: Understanding the theoretical presuppositions of moving from blame and punishment to repair and learning
By Eva van Baarle, Guy Widdershoven, Bert Molewijk The notion of just culture has become a buzzword in healthcare organizations. It refers to the need for repair and learning when things go wrong, rather than blame and punishment. This orientation, which is also known as a restorative just culture approach, implies a fundamental change in […]
Climate protester cases expose GMC’s moral failings
By Rammina Yassaie In an unprecedent move in UK medical history the first working doctor, GP Patrick Hart, has been suspended from the medical register for 10 months following his imprisonment for actions he took to draw attention to the role of oil and gas companies in driving the climate emergency, and its associated health […]
How I came to write “A consequentialist case for permitting conscientious objection in healthcare”
By Steve Clarke The ethics of conscientious objection (CO) in healthcare is an important and controversial topic in bioethics and much has been written about it. I first published on the ethics of CO in healthcare in 2017 and I’ve had several other pieces published on the topic since then. I’ve also edited a special […]
“One problem per appointment?” Why setting limits can both fairer and safer
By Dr. Richard Armitage As a GP, I rarely see a single-issue consultation. One person comes with a sore throat, a bad back, and queries about their medications. Another comes with a headache, low mood, and wanting the results of a recent blood test. This is the nature of routine primary care. But it creates […]
“Will my baby be disabled?”
By Peter D. Murray As a neonatologist, I’ve been asked this question countless times. Usually, it arises amid some crisis impacting the baby, through no fault of their own. If I could predict outcomes with 100% certainty, I could offer the distressed parent words of comfort or reassurance in such moments. Since I do not […]
When death becomes a checklist: Confronting secular bias in healthcare
By Hana Abbasian In modern healthcare, death is often treated as a medical event to manage, a problem to solve, or a process to streamline. We focus on measurable outcomes: pain scores, vital signs, sedation levels. While these metrics are important, they can obscure a deeper truth: dying is a human and often spiritual experience. […]
Circumcision and autism? When medical institutions, not conspiracy theorists, undermine trust
By Max Buckler Headlines over the last two weeks featured a strange-sounding claim linking newborn circumcision to autism. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial US secretary of health and human services, claimed at a White House cabinet meeting that “two studies” show circumcised boys are twice as likely to develop autism or autism spectrum disorder […]