Medical Ethics

17 – 21 September 2012

Recommended Pre-course references (optional reading list):

 
1. For Fr Brendan Callaghan's lecture on Tuesday, 13th September 2011, "Double Effect: Acts & Omissions: Killing & Letting Die", reading suggestions are:

a) the BMA policy change and b) the recent high court case involving Lesley Burke 

2. For Prof. Roger Higg's lecture on Wednesday, 14th September 2011, "Truth-Telling in Medicine":

a) Roger Higgs: "Truth-telling, Lyinh and the Doctor-Patient Relationship" in "Principles of Health Care Ethics" ed. Gillon, R. Wiley, Chichester, UK. 1994.

b) H. Kuhse and P. Singer, `A Companion to Bioethics', Blackwell Companions to Philosophy

3. For Dr Julian Sheather's lecture on Friday, 16th September 2011, "Human Rights and Medical Ethics":

1). BMA (2001), "The Medical Profession & Human Rights: Handbook for a Changing Agenda", Zed Books, London. (In particular, chapters 1,2 and 13 consider the relationship between professional ethics and human rights.)

2). BMA, (1992) "Medicine Betrayed" Zed Books, London. This covered the role of doctors in psychiatric abuse and the organ trade using organs from executed prisoners.

3). BMA, "Medical Ethics Today. The BMA's handbook on ethics and law" (2nd edition) available from December 2003. This has chapters on practical issues like doctors with dual obligations and health care in custodial settings, including management of hunger strikes, suicide attempts and the use of restraints.

4). Amnesty International (2000) "Ethical Codes and Declarations Relevant to Health Professionals: An Amnesty International compilation of selected ethical and human rights texts"; http://www.amnesty.org.

5). Physicians for Human Rights (UK branch) has a freely available education module entitled "Medicine and Human Rights" which is on the internet: www.humanrights.ac.uk. PHR also encourages health professionals to become members and receive its regular newsletter. Membership of Physicians for Human Rights-UK: annual subscription is £50 (£5 for students, £25 for retired people). To join send your name, address and a cheque made out to PHR­UK to PHR­UK, 91 Harlech Road, Abbots Langley, Herts, WD5 OBE.

6). The Dutch medical organisation, Johannes Wier Stichting (Postbus 1551, 38000 BN Amersfoort, Netherlands), also publishes a human rights training pack for health professionals. Its website is www.johannes.wier.nl.

7). Physicians for Human Rights (USA) and the Cape Town University School of Public Health and Primary Health Care, (2002) "Dual Loyalty & Human Rights". This provides a very general, international overview of situations in which doctors have dual obligations, ranging from military and prison doctors to occupational health physicians.

8). All of the reports published by the Amer ican branc hes of Physicians for Human Right s are useful but the role of doctors in co ncealing torture is especially prominent in "Torture in Turkey & its Unwilling Accomplices"(1996). The website address is www.phrusa.org.

9). United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2001) "Istanbul Protocol: Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment", UNHCHR, 1211 G eneva 10, Sw itzerland.

10). The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) carries out regular visits to places of detention throughout Europe, including those in the UK, and publishes reports about them. It also publishes general guidance on issues such as the use of restraints in custodial settings. To register free on the CPT mailing list, contact http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/mailing-list.htm

11). Amnesty International "News for Health Professionals" newsletters available in paper or email version from Medical Office, Amnesty International, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW.

The following are free leaflets setting out the law and ethics of various practical situations and are available on request from the BMA Ethics Dept or can be downloaded from the ethics section of the BMA website: www.bma.org.uk

• BMA (2000), "The impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on medical decision making".
• BMA (2001) "Access to Health Care for Asylum Seekers"
• BMA and Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (1993) "Asylum Applicants - Medical Reports: Guidelines for Examining Doctors".