Ethics, Life Decision, and Medicine

Catalog description

The ethical issues of health care are some of the most controversial and interesting of our day. In this course, ethical theory is critically examined and applied to moral problems in health care, sometimes using the medium of films and case studies. Moral problems in contemporary medical practice and public policy such as informed consent, euthanasia, confidentiality, termination of treatment, HIV/AIDS, genetics, the allocation of scarce resources, surrogate decision making, advance directives, paternalism, and research involving human and animal subjects are analyzed and discussed. The early part of the course is organized around the principles of respect and autonomy, justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence. Recommended for non-health care professionals. PMI Offered every semester.