Review
Ethics
Shona Kalkman, Johannes van Delden, Amitava Banerjee, Benoit Tyl, Menno Mostert, Ghislaine van Thiel
Summary: This study conducted a narrative review to investigate patients' and the public's views and attitudes towards the use of health data for research purposes. The results suggest that there is widespread support, albeit conditional, for data sharing for health research among patients and the public. Although participants recognized the actual or potential benefits of data research, they expressed concerns about breaches of confidentiality and potential abuses of the data. The study identified important conditions for data sharing, including value, privacy, risk minimisation, data security, transparency, control, information, trust, responsibility, and accountability. To strengthen the social license for data-intensive health research, these conditions should be operationalised in a governance framework that incorporates the diverse patient and public values, needs, and interests.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Lynn M. Paltrow, Lisa H. Harris, Mary Faith Marshall
Summary: The forthcoming Supreme Court decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has the potential to significantly limit or eliminate legal access to abortion in the United States. The consequences of an abortion ban would extend beyond the scope of abortion care, affecting all individuals who become pregnant and potentially subjecting them to legal surveillance, civil detentions, forced interventions, and criminal prosecution. Such restrictions would disproportionately harm people of color and perpetuate structural racism. Overturning Roe v. Wade would not only erode the rights of those seeking to end a pregnancy, but also undermine the fundamental rights of all pregnant individuals, disregarding their constitutional protections. To ensure the safety, health, humanity, and rights of all people who experience pregnancy, a broader focus is necessary, transcending ideological differences.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Ellen Fox, Marion Danis, Anita J. Tarzian, Christopher C. Duke
Summary: Since 2000, the number of ethics consultation case performed annually in US hospitals increased by 94% to 68,000, with the average number of consults per hospital remaining unchanged. The level of education of EC practitioners remained the same, but the percentage of hospitals formally evaluating their EC services decreased. The gap between large, teaching hospitals and small, nonteaching hospitals widened compared to the previous study.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Felix R. De Bie, Sarah D. Kim, Sourav K. Bose, Pamela Nathanson, Emily A. Partridge, Alan W. Flake, Chris Feudtner
Summary: This scoping review examines the ethical literature on artificial womb technology (AWT), discussing both identified and emerging ethical considerations and concerns related to AWT and the care of fetal neonates.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Stuart McLennan, Amelia Fiske, Daniel Tigard, Ruth Muller, Sami Haddadin, Alena Buyx
Summary: The emergence of ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence has led to the need for practical assistance to address these issues in AI development. In the field of healthcare, an 'embedded ethics' approach could effectively integrate robust ethical considerations into the development of medical AI.
BMC MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Chang Ho Yoon, Robert Torrance, Naomi Scheinerman
Summary: Interpretability is crucial in machine learning for reducing biases, ensuring racial equity, building trust, and enhancing scientific reproducibility and generalisability.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Jana Sedlakova, Manuel Trachsel
Summary: This paper proposes a comprehensive, ethical, and epistemic analysis of the adoption of conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) in the psychotherapeutic landscape. It focuses on the question of whether CAI is a tool or an agent and explores the ethical implications of CAI's role in conversations. The study argues that CAI should be restricted to specific functions and cannot be considered an equal partner in human-AI interactions.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Robert Sparrow
Summary: Bioethicists have typically categorized reproductive technologies based on their potential implications for the welfare of future individuals, distinguishing between person-affecting interventions and identity-affecting interventions. While bioethical debates have largely assumed that direct genetic modification of human embryos would be person affecting, the author argues that genome editing is unlikely to have such effects for the foreseeable future. This implies that edited individuals may neither benefit nor be harmed by such interventions.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Laura Kolbe, Inmaculada de Melo-Martin
Summary: This article discusses the shortcomings of existing instruments for measuring moral distress, including the inability to determine whether reports of moral distress accurately assess the relevant facts, whether the distress is appropriately characterized as moral, and whether the reported moral distress is an appropriate target for elimination. These failures seriously limit the ability of empirical research on moral distress to promote appropriate change.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Medical Ethics
Mohammad Hosseini, Lisa M. M. Rasmussen, David B. B. Resnik
ACCOUNTABILITY IN RESEARCH-ETHICS INTEGRITY AND POLICY
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Harald Schmidt, Dorothy E. Roberts, Nwamaka D. Eneanya
Summary: The article discusses the necessity of withholding or withdrawing life-saving ventilators when resources are insufficient, and the unique social justice issues surrounding such rationing in the USA. The authors propose six possible policy options for a more just approach and emphasize the importance of monitoring and reporting on possible disparate impacts.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Emil J. Nielsen Busch, Marius T. Mjaaland
Summary: The vital status of patients involved in cDCD is a controversial topic in bioethical literature. This article argues that both opponents and proponents of cDCD protocols often misunderstand the moral implications of the dead donor rule. The authors contend that the rule does not require an assessment of a donor's vital status, but rather whether the procurement of organs in cDCD causes the donor's death. They further argue that commonly practiced cDCD protocols do not violate the dead donor rule as the donation process does not cause the donor's death.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Sean Aas, Dan Brudney, Jessica Flanigan, S. Matthew Liao, Alex London, Wayne Sumner, Julian Savulescu
Summary: This paper addresses the role of philosophy in contemporary bioethics, responding to skeptics, discussing current challenges, and making suggestions for maintaining a meaningful connection between philosophy and bioethics. It emphasizes the continuing importance and substantive role of philosophy and philosophers in modern bioethics.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Melissa D. McCradden, James A. Anderson, Elizabeth A. Stephenson, Erik Drysdale, Lauren Erdman, Anna Goldenberg, Randi Zlotnik Shaul
Summary: This paper presents a comprehensive research ethics framework that can be applied to the investigation of machine learning research at different stages. By connecting each stage to literature and ethical justifications, and adapting to the characteristics of machine learning, ethical rigor and individual protection can be maintained.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Michelle J. Bayefsky, Benjamin E. Berkman
Summary: The availability of prenatal genetic testing for a wide range of diseases raises questions about access to genetic information. The authors argue that parents should have access to useful information during pregnancy, but non-medical testing should be limited. They propose that regulation should be done through medical professional organizations instead of government and provide a framework for determining which tests should be recommended or offered.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Phoebe Friesen, Luke Gelinas, Aaron Kirby, David H. Strauss, Barbara E. Bierer
Summary: Institutional review boards face a dilemma in balancing protection and inclusion in research ethics oversight. Historically dominated by protectionism, current initiatives aim to promote inclusion and criticize the term vulnerability. However, the lack of regulatory guidance encourages prioritizing protection over inclusion within review board practices. Recommendations are proposed to achieve a better balance between inclusion and protection.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Cristina Richie
Summary: The US healthcare industry is estimated to emit 479 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, with hospital care, clinical services, medical structures, and pharmaceuticals being the top emitters. Research has primarily focused on medical structures and equipment in terms of carbon emissions, with more recent attention being given to hospital care and clinical services. However, pharmaceutical carbon emissions have been understudied, and this article will examine the factors contributing to it.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Hilary Bowman-Smart, Christopher Gyngell, Cara Mand, David J. Amor, Martin B. Delatycki, Julian Savulescu
Summary: The article discusses the potential use of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for testing non-medical traits, presenting arguments against and in favor of permitting such use. The objections to permitting these uses include practical problems and negative impacts on the child, family, and society, while the arguments for permitting them include reproductive liberty and autonomy, as well as the principle of procreative beneficence.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2023)
Article
Ethics
Jonathan Pugh, Julian Savulescu, Rebecca C. H. Brown, Dominic Wilkinson
Summary: COVID-19 vaccine requirements have sparked significant debates. This article argues that natural immunity should be recognized as a sufficient basis for exemption from vaccination requirements, as there is a lack of clear scientific evidence showing the superiority of vaccine-induced immunity over natural immunity.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Ethics
Jordan Joseph Wadden
Summary: The 'black box problem' in AI, a longstanding issue, is highlighted as a significant point of tension among ethicists, programmers, clinicians, and those involved in AI development for healthcare applications. The lack of precise definitions for these systems within AI circles leads to misunderstandings and debates, which this paper aims to address by proposing a clear definition through synthesizing existing literature and criteria.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
