Bioethics, Law & Policy

Catalog description

This course provides an overview of American law as it relates to emerging ethical issues in medicine and health care. It is intended to give students an appreciation of the ways in which medical practice and decision-making are guided by modern American principles of constitutional, tort, administrative, and criminal law. Students will learn how the law's regulatory powers have been used to set boundaries in medicine, and, in turn, how theories of medical ethics and practice have informed modern legal developments. Topics covered vary from year to year, but may include issues in end-of-life care, research ethics, reproductive autonomy, distributive justice, and genetic technology. This course counts as a Perspective Elective course.