nih-gov/www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicalethics.html
2025-02-26 13:17:41 -05:00

778 lines
No EOL
42 KiB
HTML
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" id="health_topic" class="nojs us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" />
<meta http-equiv="window-target" content="_top" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/medicalethics.html" />
<meta name="ac-dictionary" content="medlineplus-ac-dictionary" />
<meta name="description" content="Most areas of healthcare have an ethical aspect. Learn about ethical issues in healthcare and bioethics." />
<link rel="schema.DC" href="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" title="The Dublin Core metadata Element Set"/>
<meta name="DC.Title" content="Medical Ethics"/>
<meta name="DC.Title.Alternate" content="Bioethics"/>
<meta name="DC.Subject.MeSH" content="Ethics, Medical"/>
<meta name="DC.Relation.IsPartOf" content="Health System"/>
<meta name="DC.Relation.IsPartOf" content="Personal Health Issues"/>
<meta name="DC.Relation.IsPartOf" content="Social/Family Issues"/>
<meta name="DC.Identifier.URL" content="https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html"/>
<meta name="DC.Publisher" content="National Library of Medicine"/>
<meta name="DC.Language" content="eng"/>
<meta name="DC.Type" content="Text"/>
<meta name="DC.Date.Modified" content="2016-12-31"/>
<meta name="NLMDC.Date.Modified.Major" content=""/>
<meta name="DC.Date.Created" content="2010-05-21"/>
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://medlineplus.gov/images/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://medlineplus.gov/images/touch-icon.png" />
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="1042245625821448" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Medical Ethics: MedlinePlus" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://medlineplus.gov/images/MedicalEthics_share.jpg" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Most areas of healthcare have an ethical aspect. Learn about ethical issues in healthcare and bioethics." />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@medlineplus" />
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@medlineplus" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Medical Ethics: MedlinePlus" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Most areas of healthcare have an ethical aspect. Learn about ethical issues in healthcare and bioethics." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://medlineplus.gov/images/MedicalEthics_share.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Medical Ethics"/>
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Medical Ethics" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Medical Ethics: MedlinePlus" href="https://medlineplus.gov/feeds/topics/medicalethics.xml" />
<title>Medical Ethics: MedlinePlus</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://medlineplus.gov/css/common_new.css?1738956758365" />
<!--[if IE 8]> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://medlineplus.gov/css/ie8/common.css"> <![endif]-->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/css/uswds_styles.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://medlineplus.gov/css/topic.css">
<script type="text/javascript">document.getElementsByTagName('html')[0].className = document.getElementsByTagName('html')[0].className.replace( /(?:^|\s)nojs(?!\S)/g , '').trim();</script>
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/js/uswds-init.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-MMVM77');</script>
</head>
<body>
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MMVM77"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden" title="googletagmanager"></iframe></noscript>
<a name="top" id="top"></a>
<a class="hide-offscreen" href="#start">Skip navigation</a>
<section
class="usa-banner"
aria-label="Official website of the United States government"
>
<div class="usa-accordion">
<header class="usa-banner__header">
<div class="usa-banner__inner">
<div class="grid-col-auto">
<img
aria-hidden="true"
class="usa-banner__header-flag"
src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/us_flag_small.png"
alt=""
/>
</div>
<div class="grid-col-fill tablet:grid-col-auto" aria-hidden="true">
<p class="usa-banner__header-text">
An official website of the United States government
</p>
<p class="usa-banner__header-action">Heres how you know</p>
</div>
<button
type="button"
class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button"
aria-expanded="false"
aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default"
>
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Heres how you know</span>
</button>
</div>
</header>
<div
class="usa-banner__content usa-accordion__content"
id="gov-banner-default-default"
>
<div class="grid-row grid-gap-lg">
<div class="usa-banner__guidance tablet:grid-col-6">
<img
class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img"
src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-dot-gov.svg"
role="img"
alt=""
aria-hidden="true"
/>
<div class="usa-media-block__body">
<p>
<strong>Official websites use .gov</strong><br />A
<strong>.gov</strong> website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="usa-banner__guidance tablet:grid-col-6">
<img
class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img"
src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-https.svg"
role="img"
alt=""
aria-hidden="true"
/>
<div class="usa-media-block__body">
<p>
<strong>Secure .gov websites use HTTPS</strong><br />A
<strong>lock</strong> (
<span class="icon-lock"
><svg
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
width="52"
height="64"
viewBox="0 0 52 64"
class="usa-banner__lock-image"
role="img"
aria-labelledby="banner-lock-description-default"
focusable="false"
>
<title id="banner-lock-title-default">Lock</title>
<desc id="banner-lock-description-default">Locked padlock icon</desc>
<path
fill="#000000"
fill-rule="evenodd"
d="M26 0c10.493 0 19 8.507 19 19v9h3a4 4 0 0 1 4 4v28a4 4 0 0 1-4 4H4a4 4 0 0 1-4-4V32a4 4 0 0 1 4-4h3v-9C7 8.507 15.507 0 26 0zm0 8c-5.979 0-10.843 4.77-10.996 10.712L15 19v9h22v-9c0-6.075-4.925-11-11-11z"
/>
</svg> </span
>) or <strong>https://</strong> means youve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<div id="mplus-wrap">
<header>
<div id="mplus-header">
<div id="mplus-orgs">
<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" class="nih-org" target="_blank" title="National Institutes of Health">
<img class="nihlogo" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nihlogo.png" alt="National Institutes of Health"/>
</a><a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/" target="_blank"> National Library of Medicine</a>
</div>
<div id="mplus-logo" class="years-25">
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/">
<img alt="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" title="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/m_logo_25.png"/>
</a>
</div>
<div id="mplus-nav">
<div aria-live="polite" class="sm-live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
<button id="sm-menu-btn" class="navmenu-btn" title="Menu" role="button" aria-controls="mplus-menu-list" type="submit">Menu<span class="icon icon-nav-menu"></span></button>
<ul id="mplus-menu-list" class="nav-list">
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html">Health Topics</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html">Drugs & Supplements</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/">Genetics</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/">Medical Tests</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html">Medical Encyclopedia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/">About MedlinePlus</a></li>
</ul><button id="sm-search-btn" class="navmenu-btn" title="Search" role="button" aria-controls="mplus-search" type="submit"><span class="hide-offscreen"></span>Search<span class="icon icon-nav-search"></span></button>
<div class="top-1">
<form id="mplus-search" method="get" action="https://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta" title="Search MedlinePlus" target="_self">
<input type="hidden" name="v:project" value="medlineplus"/>
<input type="hidden" name="v:sources" value="medlineplus-bundle"/>
<div class="form-box text-combo">
<div class="form-area"><label class="hide-offscreen" for="searchtext_primary">Search MedlinePlus</label>
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true"/>
</div>
<div class="button-area">
<button class="form-btn" title="Search MedlinePlus" alt="Search MedlinePlus" type="submit">GO</button>
</div>
</div>
</form>
<div class="secondarynav">
<ul class="nav-list">
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/"><span>About MedlinePlus</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/whatsnew/">What's New</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/sitemap.html"><span>Site Map</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=medlineplus&from=https%3A//medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html" target="_blank"><span>Customer Support</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div id="mplus-nav-bar">
<ul class="nav-list">
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html">Health Topics</a></li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html">Drugs & Supplements</a></li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/">Genetics</a></li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/">Medical Tests</a></li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html">Medical Encyclopedia</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<a id="mplus-lang-toggle" href="https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/medicalethics.html" title="Español">Español</a>
</div>
</div>
</header>
<div id="mplus-content">
<div id="breadcrumbs">
<div itemprop="breadcrumb" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/BreadcrumbList">
<span class="hide-offscreen">You Are Here:</span>
<div itemscope itemprop="itemListElement" itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem">
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/" itemprop="item"><span itemprop="name">Home</span></a>
&rarr;
<meta itemprop="position" content="1"/>
</div>
<div itemscope itemprop="itemListElement" itemtype="http://schema.org/ListItem">
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html" itemprop="item"><span itemprop="name">Health Topics</span></a>
&rarr;
<meta itemprop="position" content="2"/>
</div>
<div>
<span>Medical Ethics</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="page-url print-only">URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html</span>
<div id="topic">
<article>
<div class="page-info">
<div class="page-title syndicate">
<a id="start" name="start"></a>
<h1 itemprop="name">
Medical Ethics
</h1>
</div>
<div class="page-actions"></div>
</div>
<div class="main">
<a name="summary"></a>
<section id="topsum_section">
<div class="summary-title syndicate">
<h2>Summary</h2>
</div>
<div id="topic-summary" class="syndicate"><p>
The field of ethics studies principles of right and wrong. There is hardly an area in medicine that doesn't have an ethical aspect. For example, there are ethical issues relating to
:</p><ul>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/endoflifeissues.html">End of life care</a>: Should a patient receive <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/nutritionalsupport.html">nutrition</a>? What about <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/advancedirectives.html">advance directives</a> and resuscitation orders?</li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/abortion.html">Abortion</a>: When does life begin? Is it ethical to terminate a pregnancy with a birth defect?</li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetictesting.html">Genetic</a> and <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/prenataltesting.html">prenatal</a> testing: What happens if you are a carrier of a defect? What if testing shows that your unborn baby has a defect?</li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/birthcontrol.html">Birth control</a>: Should it be available to minors?</li>
<li>Is it ethical to harvest embryonic <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/stemcells.html">stem cells</a> to treat diseases?</li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/organdonation.html">Organ donation</a>: Must a relative donate an organ to a sick relative?</li>
<li>Your personal health information: who has access to your <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/personalhealthrecords.html">records</a>?</li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/patientrights.html">Patient rights</a>: Do you have the right to refuse treatment?</li>
<li>When you <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/talkingwithyourdoctor.html">talk with your doctor</a>, is it ethical for her to withhold information from you or your family?</li>
</ul></div>
</section>
<a name="cat_76"></a>
<section id="cat_76_section">
<div class="section">
<div class="section-header">
<div class="section-title">
<h2>Learn More
</h2>
</div>
<div class="section-button">
<button title="Expand/Collapse section" role="button" aria-controls="section" aria-pressed="true" type="submit">
<span class="icon icon-section-action"></span>
</button>
</div>
<div aria-live="polite" class="sm-live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
</div>
<div id="section76" class="section-body">
<ul class="bulletlist">
<li>
<a href="https://www.healthinaging.org/age-friendly-healthcare-you/care-what-matters-most/end-life-care" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="102985" >End of Life Care</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<span class="orgs"> (AGS Health in Aging Foundation)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Genetic-Discrimination" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="111078" data-org="NHGRI">Genetic Discrimination</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<img width="25" height="16" alt="From the National Institutes of Health" title="From the National Institutes of Health" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nih.png" class="imgdesc">
<span class="orgs"> (National Human Genome Research Institute)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.thehastingscenter.org/briefingbook/organ-transplantation/" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="117151" >Organ Transplantation</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<span class="orgs"> (Hastings Center)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://nrc-pad.org/getting-started/" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="65846" >Psychiatric Advance Directives: Getting Started</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<span class="orgs"> (National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/timeline" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="95826" data-org="NIEHS">Research Ethics Timeline</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<img width="25" height="16" alt="From the National Institutes of Health" title="From the National Institutes of Health" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nih.png" class="imgdesc">
<span class="orgs"> (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://americanhospice.org/caregiving/use-of-opiates-to-manage-pain-in-the-seriously-and-terminally-ill-patient/" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="117072" >Use of Opiates to Manage Pain in the Seriously and Terminally Ill Patient</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<span class="orgs"> (American Hospice Foundation)</span>
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="91042" data-org="NIEHS">What Is Ethics in Research and Why Is It Important?</a>
<span class="desc-text">
<img width="25" height="16" alt="From the National Institutes of Health" title="From the National Institutes of Health" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nih.png" class="imgdesc">
<span class="orgs"> (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)</span>
</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<a name="cat_59"></a>
<section id="cat_59_section">
<div class="section">
<div class="section-header">
<div class="section-title">
<h2>Journal Articles
<span class="subheading">References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)</span>
</h2>
</div>
<div class="section-button">
<button title="Expand/Collapse section" role="button" aria-controls="section" aria-pressed="true" type="submit">
<span class="icon icon-section-action"></span>
</button>
</div>
<div aria-live="polite" class="sm-live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
</div>
<div id="section59" class="section-body">
<ul class="bulletlist">
<li>
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39710674" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="89359" >Article: Enhancing intercultural competence of German medical students through innovative teaching on...</a>
<span class="desc-text">
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39522044" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="89359" >Article: Ethics in the operating room: a systematic review.</a>
<span class="desc-text">
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39378402" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="89359" >Article: Exploring medical ethics: moral reasoning among new pediatric resident physicians in...</a>
<span class="desc-text">
</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Ethics%2C+Medical%22%5Bmajr%3Anoexp%5D+AND+humans%5Bmh%5D+AND+english%5Bla%5D+AND+%22last+1+Year%22+%5Bedat%5D+NOT+%28letter%5Bpt%5D+OR+case+reports%5Bpt%5D+OR+editorial%5Bpt%5D+OR+comment%5Bpt%5D%29+AND+free+full+text%5Bsb%5D+" target="TheNewWin" data-sid="89359" >Medical Ethics -- see more articles</a>
<span class="desc-text">
</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</div>
<div class="side">
<aside>
<section id="ht-img-section">
<div class="side-section">
<div class="section-header hide-offscreen">
<h2>Topic Image</h2>
</div>
<div class="section-body no-header">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/MedicalEthics.jpg" title="Medical Ethics" alt="Medical Ethics" />
</div>
</div>
</section>
<section>
<div class="side-section">
<div class="section-header hide-offscreen">
<h2>Disclaimers</h2>
</div>
<div class="section-body no-header">
MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/disclaimers.html">disclaimer</a> about external links and our <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/criteria.html">quality guidelines</a>.
</div>
</div>
</section>
</aside>
</div>
<div class="page-action-bottom">
<div class="page-actions"></div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<p>The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.</p>
<div id="citation-how-to">
<button><span>Learn how to cite this page</span></button>
</div>
</div>
<footer>
<div id="mplus-footer">
<div class="footer1">
<ul class="secondarynav">
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/">About MedlinePlus</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/whatsnew/">What's New</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/sitemap.html">Site Map</a></li>
<li><a href="https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=medlineplus&from=https%3A//medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html" target="_blank"><span>Customer Support</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul class="follow-footer">
<li>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/rss.html" class="follow-item">Subscribe to RSS<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/feed.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="RSS" title="RSS"></a>
</li>
<li>
<span class="follow-label">Follow us</span>
<a href="https://twitter.com/medlineplus" class="follow-item" target="_blank">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/i_share_twitter.png" class="follow-icon" alt="X" title="X">
</a>
<a href="https://facebook.com/Mplus.gov/" class="follow-item" target="_blank">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/i_share_fb.png" class="follow-icon" alt="Facebook" title="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mplusgov/" class="follow-item" target="_blank">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/Instagram_Glyph_Gradient_RGB.png" class="follow-icon" alt="Instagram" title="Instagram">
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/social-media-toolkit/" class="social-media-toolkit-item">Social Media Toolkit<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/i_social_media_toolkit.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="Social Media Toolkit" title="Social Media Toolkit"></a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="footer2">
<ul>
<li><a href=" https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.html" target='_blank'>NLM Web Policies</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/using/usingcontent/" >Copyright</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/accessibility.html">Accessibility</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/using/criteria/">Guidelines for Links</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/plugins.html">Viewers & Players</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/index.html" target="_blank">HHS Vulnerability Disclosure</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/medlineplus-connect/">MedlinePlus Connect for EHRs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/developers/">For Developers</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="address">
<a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov" target="_blank">National Library of Medicine</a>
<span>8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894</span>
<a href="https://www.hhs.gov" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>
<a href="https://www.nih.gov" target="_blank">National Institutes of Health</a>
</div>
<div class="date">
<span id="lastupdate">Last updated December 31, 2016</span>
</div>
<div class="return-top"><a href="#top" title="Return to top"><img class="return-top-icon" alt="Return to top" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/return-top.png"></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
</div>
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/jslib/jquery-3.6.0.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/jslib/mplus-frontend-controls-new.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/jslib/mplus-share.js?id=1112022" type="text/javascript"></script>
<!--[if lte IE 9]><script src="//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/jslib/jquery.placeholder.js" type="text/javascript"></script><![endif]-->
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/jslib/control.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/js/uswds.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type='application/ld+json'>
[
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"name": "Medical Ethics",
"description": "Most areas of healthcare have an ethical aspect. Learn about ethical issues in healthcare and bioethics.",
"mainContentOfPage": "\u000AThe field of ethics studies principles of right and wrong. There is hardly an area in medicine that doesn\u0027t have an ethical aspect. For example, there are ethical issues relating to\u000A:\u000AEnd of life care: Should a patient receive nutrition? What about advance directives and resuscitation orders?\u000AAbortion: When does life begin? Is it ethical to terminate a pregnancy with a birth defect?\u000AGenetic and prenatal testing: What happens if you are a carrier of a defect? What if testing shows that your unborn baby has a defect?\u000ABirth control: Should it be available to minors?\u000AIs it ethical to harvest embryonic stem cells to treat diseases?\u0009\u000AOrgan donation: Must a relative donate an organ to a sick relative?\u000AYour personal health information: who has access to your records?\u000APatient rights: Do you have the right to refuse treatment?\u000AWhen you talk with your doctor, is it ethical for her to withhold information from you or your family?\u000A",
"primaryImageOfPage": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"contentUrl": "https://medlineplus.gov/images/MedicalEthics.jpg"
},
"url": "https://medlineplus.gov/medicalethics.html"
}
]
</script>
</body>
</html>