Physicians should not be executioners

Article Abstract:

Lethal injection is a procedure that uses the special tools of the medical community to end the life of a condemned prisoner. While it may look like a medical procedure, it is still an execution. The American Medical Association (AMA) believes that it is unethical for doctors to participate as observers or to facilitate the death in any way. The AMA is also opposed to any laws that protect the name of a doctor who participates in an execution. The organization is currently formulating a detailed policy on the issue to be used by state legislatures and physicians.

Editorial, Executions and executioners, Execution (Punishment), Executioners

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Should your patients be able to learn all about you?

Article Abstract:

The dubious interpretations that derive from public access to comprehensive information about physicians may provoke more problems than they solve. As more states enact legislation extending disclosure privileges to patients and potential patients, the possibility that raw information may be misinterpreted increases. The general public, unfamiliar with the singular exigencies of the medical profession and faced with out-of-context data, is likely to learn less than they would via more gradual and measured channels of information.

Author: Krieger, Gary F.
Physicians & Surgeons, Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists), Column

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Russian medicine takes foray into bioethics

Article Abstract:

Russian physicians and medical students are beginning to consider the ethical implications of psychiatric care, organ donation, informed consent and other matters. For example, one Russian hospital has set up an ethics committee whose first task was establishing a set of ethical rules on human experimentation. This interest in medical ethics has partly been prompted by new medical laws incorporating human rights.

Author: Sandin, Nina
Russia, Medical ethics

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Subjects list: Physicians, Medical professions, Ethical aspects
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