Channel 4 is currently mid-way through a series of short talking-head films on the question of whether organ donation should be compulsory: as I write this, two have been broadcast, with another five to come. The first one is by John Harris, rehearsing familiar arguments about the permissibility of mandated donation (as he did here) […]
Category: JME
MSF Dilemma # 4: Acting Beyond Competence
This is the fourth of the dilemmas considered here. Our doctor has previously assisted in caesarean sections but has never taken sole responsibility for one. The doctor who is responsible for surgery is on holiday and transport to the next surgical facility takes 7 h, which is too long for this mother who is clearly in obstructed […]
MSF Dilemma # 3: Re-Infibulation
This is the third of the dilemmas considered here. To allow childbirth, it is necessary to surgically open an infibulation. After delivery, women (and their husbands) ask for restoration of the infibulation (re-infibulation), which involves re-suturing. MSF opposes re-infibulation and works to ensure that it is not undertaken in its delivery facilities. Although MSF opposes this practice, […]
MSF Dilemma # 2: Sterile Equipment
This is the second of the dilemmas considered here. MSF teams have faced situations where a nurse who is part of the community, who understands the importance of sterile procedures, asks to use MSF’s sterile equipment to perform FGM. MSF is often the only source of sterile equipment in the area and the team has […]
MSF Dilemma # 1: HIV and Stigmatisation
This is the first of the dilemmas considered here: The stigma around HIV can be high. A diagnosis can lead to rejection by family and community, and in some instances, a person suspected to be HIV-positive may even be killed. Where MSF is not running a programme offering antiretroviral therapy or where referral is impossible, […]
New JME, New Threads
The editor’s choice paper in the latest JME is Sheather and Shah’s “Ethical Dilemmas in Medical Humanitarian Practice: Cases for reflection from Medecins Sans Frontières”. Because it’s the editors’ choice, you should be able to access it for free. The paper outlines four moral dilemmas, each presented with an ethicist’s response. Over the next day or […]
Assisted Suicide in Oregon: a Counterblast from the Antis
Ilora Finlay and Rob George* have a new paper in the JME that takes issue with Battin et al‘s 2007 paper, concerning who makes use of physician assisted suicide in Oregon and Holland. Battin’s claim had been that there was no evidence of heightened risk for the elderly, women, the uninsured (inapplicable in the Netherlands, where […]
Brain Death, Decapitation and Good Arguments
One of the complaints that I’ve heard made about the JME is that its papers are too short: a word limit of only 3500 words means that arguments have to undergo a process of severe shrinkage to fit, and at least sometimes don’t survive. Sympathetic as I am to the complaint, I’m also aware that […]
Teaching, Application and Theory
Ben Saunders’ paper in this month’s JME dealing with how to teach applied ethics is thought-provoking. He picks up on an argument between Robin Lawlor and David Benatar that’s been rumbling on for yonks in the Journal‘s pages. Lawlor and Benatar are worried about how much theory to teach in applied ethics classes – Lawlor […]
Sporting Chances and the Justification of Surgery
There’s an interesting story on the front page of the Manchester Evening News about an 11-year-old who has asked that her right leg be removed so that she has a better chance of becoming a paralympian. […]