Acceptable Risk: Who Decides?

Who decides who decides?

what counts as wise? Second, does the public, after considerable thought, think that our society has a moral obligation to pursue lines of research which may benefit present and future generations? I say “moral obligation” because it is sometimes implied by advocates of recombinant D N A research that science would be guilty of a sin of omission if it did not continue and promote research so pr...

The intersection of evidence and values in clinical guidelines: who decides what constitutes acceptable risk in the care of children?

Risk is implicit in all clinical decision-making. Whether a clinician refrains from ordering a head computed tomography scan for a patient with a headache or decides to obtain blood work on a child with a fever, each decision involves a balance between accepting and limiting risk. Ideally, clinicians strive to achieve this balance. Clinicians accept some risk (eg, the risk of missing a rare dis...

Fetal survival--who decides?

In this paper Iain McFadyen highlights a modern ethical dilemma. In each case the fetus was recognised to be in danger, but in both cases the advice given in the fetal interest was refused by the mothers. Both the mother and the physician were concerned for the fetus, but their differing actions and reasons pose the dilemma--who decides?

Diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes: who decides?

Who decides the law of the land?

A cornerstone of American-Indian cultures is a deep sense of interconnectedness with the natural environment. To preserve this sense of interconnectedness on tribal lands, many American Indians believe that sovereignty over environmental affairs on tribal lands is essential. But a number of shortcomings have historically and continually weakened tribal authority, and years of federal neglect ha...