Medical paternalism and the fetus

Medical paternalism and the fetus.

A number of developments in the medical field have changed the debate about the ethics of abortion. These developments include: advances in fetal physiology, the increase in neonatal intensive care and the survival rates of premature infants. This paper discusses the idea of selective termination and the effects that these decisions have on disabled people of today. It presents a critique of th...

Making sense of medical paternalism.

Why do we regulate the substances we can ingest, the advisors we can hear, and the products we can buy far more than similarly-important non-health choices? I review many possible arguments for such paternalistic policies, as well many possible holes in such arguments. I argue we should either be clearer about what justifies our paternalism, or we should back off and be less paternalistic.

Medical Paternalism and Patient Autonomy; the dualism doctors contend with..

421 Medical practitioners are beginning to realise that conflict between medical paternalism and patient autonomy would arise if they continue to uphold this dualism as distinct in all circumstances of medical practice. Information about an intended medical procedure or clinical research involving humans needs to be comprehensively transmitted so that the client can make a rational decision to ...

Beyond misguided paternalism: resuscitating the right to refuse medical treatment.

Editorial MEDICAL THERAPY TO THE FETUS

The human fetus has for centuries remained a medical recluse in an opaque womb. The concept of the fetus as a patient is alarmingly modern, as in earlier days there were no diagnostic or therapeutic measures available to assess the severity of fetal involvement, until after delivery. Experience in the management of fetal disorders is limited and the optimal management of each disorder is still ...