Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons^™

Reproductive Genetics: Desired Genes, Gendered Ethics, And Eugenic Echoes, Marykate K. Bodnar

The Hilltop Review

Present knowledge of genetics and assisted reproduction make fertile ground for a new type of eugenics: reproductive genetics. Proponents of reproductive genetics aim to separate these techniques from the problematic and negative connotations associated with historical eugenic policies by claiming them as part of the liberal eugenic movement. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), the market for sperm and eggs, and prenatal genetic testing allow conscious decision-making regarding the potential genetic make-up of children. Decisions are made in a gendered and politicized environment, shaping understandings of genes, eggs, and sperm around stereotypes and ideal social norms. In choosing “desirable” characteristics, whatever they may …

Promoting Completion Of Advance Directives In A Hispanic Religious Congregation: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Luis Daniel San Miguel, Mary Jo Clark

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Hispanics utilize more aggressive medical treatment at the end of life and are less likely to receive end-of-life care consistent with their wishes than nonHispanic Whites. Hispanics are less likely than nonHispanic Whites to have an advance directive (AD). Increasing AD completion among Hispanics can promote end-of-life care consistent with their wishes, diminish healthcare disparities, and eliminate unnecessary healthcare spending. Objectives: To promote completion of advance directives by increasing knowledge, positive attitudes, and comfort with advance care planning (ACP) among Hispanics through culturally sensitive interventions. Intervention: The project was conducted in Spanish and implemented among a …

Exploring The Relationships Of Power, Attitudes Regarding Intermittent Fetal Monitoring, And Perceived Barriers To Research Utilization With A Labor And Delivery Nurse's Attitude Toward Patient Advocacy, Lisa Heelan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

A problem identified in nursing practice was the routine use of continuous fetal monitoring (CEFM) with low risk laboring women. CEFM is associated with worsened outcomes for the low risk laboring woman with no benefit to the newborn. In addition, this routine practice does not allow most laboring women the right to make an informed choice regarding treatment options. Nursing includes the role of patient advocacy. There was a need to better understand what is associated with a labor and delivery nurse’s attitude toward patient advocacy.

This descriptive correlational research design examined the relationships of power as knowing participation in …

Critical Analysis Of The Confounding Of Clinical Trials, Eleanor L. Jordan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

To provide a comprehensive overview of issues confounding clinical trials, Chapter 2 will discuss the parties involved in the research and development of medications and detail the individual responsibilities of each. However, the ambition of these individual entities often produces a conflict of interest especially when profits are involved [9]. Organizations and individuals such as insurance corporations, pharmaceutical companies (sponsors), pharmacy benefit managers, investigators (doctors/medical professionals) and most importantly patients, are all involved in carrying out clinical research and have definitive responsibilities they are required to follow for unbiased results. However, many rules are overlooked and biases go unrecorded causing …

The Skinny On Eating Attitudes, Body Image, And The Thin-Ideal In College Women, Lyndsay N. Greene

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

There is evidence of a link between body image and disordered eating among females, and some research that suggests exposure to the media exacerbates both body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. Despite these claims, little research has been done on the effects that exposure to photo-shopped images specifically has on body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. The present study sought to further understand the relationship between cognitive distortions of body image and eating attitudes and to examine the effects that exposure to the thin-ideal found in the media has on body dissatisfaction among college aged women. Eighty female college students answered questions …

One Final Goodbye, Dennis Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

N/A

Statins And Kidney Failure, Rebekah Pemberton

Senior Honors Theses

Use of the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors, also known as statins, in patients with renal dysfunction is laden with controversy. Studies on statin use in renal patients have given varying reports. Some research has indicated that these medications may exacerbate existing renal dysfunction and induce further progression of renal disease. Furthermore, some researchers have suggested statins may actually cause some cases of renal dysfunction through the effects of rhabdomyolysis, acute interstitial nephritis, or necrotizing immune-mediated myopathy, while other researchers have asserted that the statins can have nephroprotective effects. The use of statins is believed to be ineffective in patients who are …

Presumed Versus Explicit Consent In Regards To Organ Donation, Natalie A. Lamy

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

Using Neuroscience To Create A Paradigm Shift In Addiction Treatment And Theory, Tabitha E.H. Moses

Student Works

Drug abuse has long fascinated philosophers and scientists. Many different models have attempted to elucidate the mechanism behind drug addiction and analyze whether an addict has a choice in his behavior. The problem with these models is that they seem to suggest only two ways of viewing addiction. These models suggest either that a person cannot control his addiction and is therefore deserving of treatment, or that suggest a person can control their addictions and is not deserving of treatment, and instead needs threats of punishment to stop their behavior. I believe these approaches are too simplistic and do not …

Are You Demonstrating The Value Of Caring?, Beth B. Boyd

Nursing Faculty Publications

Are you making a difference? Christian values and caring are at the heart of nursing practice. However, it seems there is little talk about caring values with nursing students, even though nurse educators can share these important messages with their students. Demonstrating compassion and caring in an environment of mutual respect can truly make a difference to future nurses.

Law, Ethics, And Public Health In The Vaccination Debates: Politics Of The Measles Outbreak, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The measles outbreak of early 2015 is symptomatic of a larger societal problem–the growing number of parents who decide against vaccinating their children. This failure is causing the resurgence of childhood diseases once eliminated from the United States.

This article explores the legal and ethical landscape of vaccine exemptions. While all states require childhood vaccinations, they differ significantly in the types of religious and/or philosophical exemptions permitted, the rigor of the application process, and available review mechanisms. States with relaxed exemption policies disproportionately experience more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease.

Vaccine exemptions are an illustration of the “tragedy of the commons,” …

Closed Cases? - The Mentioning Of Medical Errors In Doctors' Memoirs, Angelika Potempa

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The concession of errors in the pursuit of the art of medicine, where mishaps can lead to deleterious consequences is at the center of this paper. The social costs of medical errors and a professional culture with a strong tradition of self-regulation and shielding itself via a more or less permeable “Wall of Silence” make the issue not only interesting but keep it timely. The focus is on how and within what framework medical errors are admitted in the memoirs of American doctors. The times remembered reach from the 1950s and 1960s to the present.

A Missed Opportunity For Shared Responsibility In Adolescent Contraception, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh

Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Adolescence recently endorsed IUDs as the clinical contraceptive method of choice among sexually active adolescents. This commentary highlights the ways in which these recommendations reinforce a gender normative notion that contraceptive responsibilities continue to lie squarely with young women, and now adolescent girls. It critiques the absence of guidance from the Committee regarding how to approach both sexual partners equally in discussions of contraception. The reflection also identifies paucity in how to address sexual health among trans/intersexed adolescents and those with complex sexual orientations. Such exclusion has adverse implications, inviting marginalization of young …

"Catholic" Healthcare: A Universal Right, Elizabeth Braun

Ethics and Social Justice Center Essay Prizes

This essay presents an argument as to why healthcare is a universal right and examines why governments should be expected to provide healthcare access to their citizens.

Just Compensation: A No-Fault Proposal For Research-Related Injuries, Leslie Meltzer Henry, Megan E. Larkin, Elizabeth R. Pike

Faculty Scholarship

Biomedical research, no matter how well designed and ethically conducted, carries uncertainties and exposes participants to risk of injury. Research injuries can range from the relatively minor to those that result in hospitalization, permanent disability, or even death. Participants might also suffer a range of economic harms related to their injuries. Unlike the vast majority of developed countries, which have implemented no-fault compensation systems, the United States continues to rely on the tort system to compensate injured research participants—an approach that is no longer morally defensible. Despite decades of US advisory panels advocating for no-fault compensation, little progress has been …

Respect And Dignity: A Conceptual Model For Patients In The Intensive Care Unit, Leslie Meltzer Henry, Cynda Rushton, Mary Catherine Beach, Ruth Faden

Faculty Scholarship

Although the concept of dignity is commonly invoked in clinical care, there is not widespread agreement—in either the academic literature or in everyday clinical conversations—about what dignity means. Without a framework for understanding dignity, it is difficult to determine what threatens patients’ dignity and, conversely, how to honor commitments to protect and promote it. This article aims to change that by offering the first conceptual model of dignity for patients in the intensive care unit. The conceptual model we present is based on the notion that there are three sources of patients’ dignity—their shared humanity, personal narratives, and autonomy—each of …

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter, Winter 2015

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Ada Constitution & Bylaws (2015), American Dental Association

Constitution & Bylaws

The ADA Commons Constitution & Bylaws archival collection comprises printed issues of the American Dental Association's Constitution and Bylaws. The collection also includes the ADA Charter and the ADA Code of Ethics issued 1924-1946.

Ethical Perspectives Of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing, Pawan Acharya, Rupesh Gautam

Journal of Health Ethics

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, which evolved from genomics is not free from controversies and ethical dilemmas. Conduction of genetic testing without direct communication between the users and certified medical professionals has aroused many ethical concerns. We discuss some ethical dilemmas surrounding DTC genetic testing in terms of quality assurance of the test, information communication process of the result, confidentiality of test result and the right to privacy, cost and price regulations, and user safety and harm mitigation. DTC genetic testing lies in the middle of a clash between liberal trade policies and state’s regulations as a case of extreme paternalism. …

Integrating Social Justice For Health Professional Education: Self-Reflection, Advocacy, And Collaborative Learning, Lena Hatchett, Nanette Elster, Katherine Wasson, Lisa Anderson, Kayhan Parsi

Journal of Health Ethics

Justice as fair and equal treatment for all is one of the core visions for health professional education to reduce racial and economic health disparities in bioethics, nursing and medicine. However, the current reality of deeply entrenched structural inequities across race, class, gender, and social privilege make it a challenge for students to become aware of practical health equity solutions. This paper illustrates how faculty and students can build their understanding of health equity solutions in health professional education through self-reflection, self-direction, advocacy, and collaborative learning opportunities. We provide lessons learned and teaching resources from nursing, medicine, and law.

Generational Conflicts Among Vietnamese Americans In The Health Care Decision Making Process, Georgie D. Nguyen

Journal of Health Ethics

In the U.S. there are approximately 1.3 million Vietnamese Americans. This group faced multiple problems after their immigration to the U.S. after the Fall of Saigon. While some easily acculturated within this group, others such as the older generation suffered difficulty doing so. The purpose of this article is to address concerns regarding the health care decision making process among the Vietnamese community and its importance to helping health care providers understand why there is a high mortality rate within this group.

The Ethics Of Place: Differences In Ethical Perspectives Among Urban, Suburban, And Rural Physicians In Georgia, Mary Eleanor E. Wickersham D.P.A., Jean Rawlings Sumner M.D.

Journal of Health Ethics

A debate continues between two camps: those who see “ethics as ethics” regardless of place and others who believe that ethical challenges are somehow different for rural physicians than for their more urban counterparts. This research examines the ethical perspectives of urban, suburban, and rural physicians to identify differences based on practice location. Over 3000 Georgia physicians responded to questions concerning their experiences with ethical dilemmas in eight domains: payment /conflict of interest; patient access; truth telling/professional conduct; boundary/dual role issues; patient autonomy; sociological/cultural issues; stress/burnout; and ethics training/leadership. Descriptive statistics and contingency tables were used for statistical analysis. Higher …

Calling Science Pseudoscience: Fleck’S Archaeologies Of Fact And Latour’S ‘Biography Of An Investigation’ In Aids Denialism And Homeopathy, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

Fleck’s Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact foregrounds claims traditionally excluded from reception, often regarded as opposed to fact, scientific claims that are increasingly seldom discussed in connection with philosophy of science save as examples of pseudo-science. I am especially concerned with scientists who question the epidemiological link between HIV and AIDS and who are thereby discounted—no matter their credentials, no matter the cogency of their arguments, no matter the sobriety of their statistics—but also with other classic examples of so-called pseudo-science including homeopathy and other sciences, such as cold fusion. The pseudo-science version of the demarcation problem turns …

Compassion As A Practical And Evolved Ethic For Conservation, David Ramp, Marc Bekoff

Conservation Collection

The ethical position underpinning decisionmaking is an important concern for conservation biologists when setting priorities for interventions. The recent debate on how best to protect nature has centered on contrasting intrinsic and aesthetic values against utilitarian and economic values, driven by an inevitable global rise in conservation conflicts. These discussions have primarily been targeted at species and ecosystems for success, without explicitly expressing concern for the intrinsic value and welfare of individual animals. In part, this is because animal welfare has historically been thought of as an impediment to conservation. However, practical implementations of conservation that provide good welfare outcomes …

Maintaining Ethical Standards During Conservation Crises, Ryan K. Brook, Mark Cattet, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Gilbert Proulx

Ethics and Conservation Biology Collection

Many species at risk in Canada and globally are at or approaching a crisis, especially where little or nothing consequential is being done to prevent extirpation. Such is the case of endangered boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in southern Alberta, Canada. Expedient but inadequate emergency ‘fixes’ have been experimentally implemented to arrest their decline and potential extirpation, but use of these measures raises important ethical problems. In their study of the effects of killing wolves (Canis lupus) on the Little Smoky woodland caribou population, Hervieux et al. (2014a) employed lethal methods that included shooting a firearm from a helicopter and …

Existential Suffering And Cura Personalis: Dilemmas At The End-Of-Life, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

Existential, or non-somatic suffering, is often associated with the management of refractory pain at the end-stage of life. Because of misleading sympathologies, this condition is often either mis-diagnosed or even ignored. When diagnosed as a part of a futile medical condition, this Paper argues that deep, palliative, or terminal sedation be offered to the distressed, dying patient as an efficacious and ethical response to preserving a semblance of human dignity in the dying process. Not only is this option of care humane and compassionate, it is consistent with the ideal of best patient care. The notion of care should not …

Markets, Morals, And Limits In The Exchange Of Human Eggs, Kimberly D. Krawiec

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

From Bibles To Biomarkers: The Future Of The Dsm And Forensic Psychiatric Diagnosis, Teneille R. Brown

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

Given its importance to the law, it is regrettable that judges and lawyers do not fully understand how the DSM is constructed, and the bedrock of values on which it rests. As evidence of this, lawyers and judges often refer to the DSM as the “psychiatric bible.” This language is both fascinating and perplexing. This Article will attempt to correct the notion that the DSM is a legal “psychiatric bible” by explaining how it is created and used by the medical field. It will also provide a few reasons why the law may have come to view it as a …

Giving Thanks: The Ethics Of Grateful Patient Fundraising, Stacey A. Tovino

Faculty Articles

Grateful patient fundraising, defined as the solicitation of philanthropic donations by health care providers from current and former patients, raises a number of legal and ethical issues. Elsewhere, I detailed the confidentiality issues raised by the use and disclosure of patient identifiable information by hospital development officers, major gifts officers, institutionally-related foundations, and commercial fundraisers, and proposed corrections to federal health information confidentiality regulations to better balance the competing aims of health care philanthropy and health information confidentiality. In this Article, I analyze several outstanding issues raised by physician involvement in grateful patient fundraising. That is, physicians who solicit philanthropic …

The Injustice Of Inclusion And Fair Opportunity: Exploiting Children In Medical Research For The Benefit Of An Unworthy Society, Ruqaiijah Yearby

All Faculty Scholarship

The history of pediatric medical research has been characterized as a history of child abuse. Usually, the debate regarding the use of children in medical research has centered on questions of Autonomy (informed consent) and Beneficence (the best interest of the child based on a benefit risk analysis). The debate has rarely focused on the question of which children should participate in medical research by discussing the legal principle of Justice (prohibits use of vulnerable populations for medical research who are already overly burdened for medical research unrelated to health issues affecting them and requires that populations who participate in …