Ethically permissible inequity in access to experimental therapies

Is posthumous semen retrieval ethically permissible?

It is possible to retrieve viable sperm from a dying man or from a recently dead body. This sperm can be frozen for later use by his wife or partner to produce his genetic offspring. But the technical feasibility alone does not morally justify such an endeavour. Posthumous semen retrieval raises questions about consent, the respectful treatment of the dead body, and the welfare of the child to ...

Covert medication in psychiatric emergencies: is it ever ethically permissible?

Covert administration of medications to patients, defined as the administration of medication to patients without their knowledge, is a practice surrounded by clinical, legal, ethics-related, and cultural controversy. Many psychiatrists would be likely to advocate that the practice of covert medication in emergency psychiatry is not clinically, ethically, or legally acceptable. This article exp...

Racial inequity of access to carotid imaging.

To the Editor: While we welcome research into stroke in patients of African and Caribbean origin, we have a number of concerns regarding the conclusions of Oddone et al on racial differences in the use of carotid imaging.1 Lacunar stroke may give a presentation identical to that of a transient ischemic attack (TIA). There is a high prevalence of lacunar stroke in people of Afro-Caribbean herita...

Racial Inequity of Access to Carotid Imaging

To the Editor: While we welcome research into stroke in patients of African and Caribbean origin, we have a number of concerns regarding the conclusions of Oddone et al on racial differences in the use of carotid imaging.1 Lacunar stroke may give a presentation identical to that of a transient ischemic attack (TIA). There is a high prevalence of lacunar stroke in people of Afro-Caribbean herita...

Access and Rational use of Plasma Protein Therapies (PPTs)