Consensus Formation in Healthcare Ethics: 58 (Philosophy and Medicine, 58) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9048149932 ISBN 13: 9789048149933

Publisher: Springer, 2010

Synopsis

debating (and possibly ratifying) the Convention at the national level [13]. The Convention identified basic principles necessary for the applica­ tion of medicine and the life sciences. It set out to protect the dignity and identity of all human beings: ''The interests and welfare of the human being shall prevail over the sole interest of society or science" (art. 2). It also requests that appropriate measures be taken to provide equitable access to healthcare of appropriate quality. The principle of respecting the free and informed consent of the person is clearly stressed. The issue of interventions on persons unable to provide an informed consent has been controversial for a long time; in the first draft, the exact formulation of the relevant article remained open. Now it states that interventions may be carried out on persons with impaired decision-making capacities, but only for their benefit, and only if minimal risks and minimal burdens are imposed. Consensus apparently exists over a broad range of issues. Privacy and free access to information are defined as rights, in article 10. Discrimination against a person on the basis of his or her genetic heritage is prohibited. Sex selection in medically assisted procreation is prohibited (except to avoid serious hereditary, sex-related diseases). Financial gain from using the human body and its parts is explicitly prohibited. The more controversial issues in bioethics are not addressed in this Convention, however. An exception is research on embryos in vitro.

About this title

Product Description

Consensus is an important topic in bioethics. Approaches to consensus formation developed over the last decade to establish standards of clinical practice are now extended to moral issues. Healthcare ethics committees, ethics advisory boards, and national ethics committees aim at creating and formulating consensus. The essays in this volume analyse the various dimensions of consensus formation. They demonstrate the clinical, institutional and political context of consensus regarding ethical issues. Consensus formation as a dialogic and discursive activity is also deeply influenced by the socio-cultural context, as examples from Europe, Japan and the U.S. illustrate. Specific problems in consensus formation are discussed in regard to genetic counseling, psychiatry, treatment decisions in family medicine, futility, and reproductive technology. The essays in the volume explore the potentials and problems of forming consensus at various levels of health care in modern pluralist societies.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9048149932
• ISBN 13: 9789048149933
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Ten Have H.A., Sass Hans-Martin