Medical Ethics

Those working in the medical professions are often confronted with decision-making procedures. These procedures go far beyond the mere technological aspects involved in the cases under investigation. Doctors and nurses are aware of the fact that their fields of operation are characterised by moral parameters as well and they know that ethical and philosophical reflection has to come in where scientific deliberation is no longer able to answer all the questions that are connected to the medical problems they have to deal with. This means that frequently, medical assessments require the assistance of an ethical and philosophical evaluation to cover completely the appraisal of a particular health situation and that doctors and nurses should be conscious of the moral status and implications of the conclusions they draw.

The aim of this course is to give students an introductory and philosophical investigation of the question if, when and how ethical and philosophical considerations can or must play a role in the practice of the medical professions. Topics that will be addressed are for example: euthanasia, embryo research, HIV and Aids, imperilled new-borns, gene therapy and cloning, involuntary psychiatric treatment, and allocation of limited medical resources.