Population ageing, in both the developed and developing world, has put increasing demands on health resources; this has brought to the fore various ethical issues related to ageing. This paper examines moral issues that confront people as they grow old as well as those who are involved with them. The concepts of autonomy, dignity, justice and intergenerational solidarity are explored. Living wi...

Obstetricians must become comfortable addressing the ethical issues involved in clinical obstetrics and therefore must have an understanding of the key elements of clinical medical ethics. Balancing the principles of medical ethics can guide clinicians toward solutions to ethical dilemmas encountered in the care of pregnant women. The purpose of this article is to review the ethical foundations...

Stereotyping is a subject of singular relevance to ethics in general and to bioethics in particular. Every medical interaction in the doctor-patient dyad has the potential to involve individuals in stereotypic views, each of the other member. Such occurs in any traditional doctor-patient consultation, where at first interview both the doctor and the patient bring an a priori view of the other’s...

The growing number of individuals affected by dementia will intensify the ethical issues that emerge in clinical practice and research, issues early in disease relate to genetic testing, use of medications in mildly affected persons, and diagnostic disclosure. Research issues relate to appropriate informed consent processes, conflict of interests, and research design issues, such as the use of ...

Improvements in our ability to analyze and understand DNA will have ethical implications for society. The most important issue stem from DNA’s ability to predict an individual’s future, during his or her life, at birth, as a fetus, as an in vitro embryo, or even before conception. There will also be ramifications for health care, in establishing identity, in revealing the past, through genetic ...

This paper considers the ethical issues raised by xenotransplantation under four headings: interfering with nature; effects on the recipient; effects on other humans; and effects on donor animals. The first two issues raise no insuperable problems: charges of unnaturalness are misguided, and the risks that xenotransplantation carries for the recipient are a matter for properly informed consent....

The marketing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the psychopharmacological industry presents a serious moral problem for the corporate model of medicine. In this paper I examine ethical issues relating to the efficacy and safety of these drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have a moral obligation to disclose all information in their possession bearing on the true risks and benefits of th...

The way we regulate food and agricultural systems is inherently of ethical concern. Thus, we are dealing with issues relevant to moral philosophy. Agricultural ethics is an emerging discipline which is principally concerned with topics involving public policy. Agriculture – ethical approaches contrasts the traditional concept of moral philosophy and applied ethics. When we try to face specific ...

BACKGROUND Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) aim to improve professionalism in health care. However, current CPG development manuals fail to address how to include ethical issues in a systematic and transparent manner. The objective of this study was to assess the representation of ethical issues in general CPGs on dementia care. METHODS AND FINDINGS To identify national CPGs on dementia ca...