Medical Ethics
MEDICAL ETHICS. Religious beliefs are central to the process of deliberation in medical ethics. An awareness of the rich diversity of perspectives both within and among different religious traditions is critical to the development of respectful dialogue. This entry will focus on the religious traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Readers interested in Hinduism are referred to S. Cromwell Crawford's Hindu Bioethics for the Twenty-First Century (2003) and those interested in Buddhism are referred to Damien Keown's Buddhism and Bioethics (1995).
Overview of Medical Ethics
Medical ethics is the application of principles and rules of morality to healthcare (Clouser, 1974). It is a multidisciplinary field grappling with perplexing questions created by rapidly evolving scientific, technological, and social developments. There is not a single systematic theory of medical ethics. Rather, medical ethics has matured into a discipline that is enriched by a plurality of voices from clinical medicine, religious traditions, philosophy, literature, politics, and the social sciences.
One of the earliest articulations of ethical guidance for physicians is the oath of Hippocrates, which dates from as early as the fourth century BCE. Two statements in the Hippocratic oath—"into whatsoever house you shall enter, it shall be for the good of the sick to the utmost of your power" and "you will exercise my art solely for the cure of patients"—are the basis for the well-known principle of "above all do no harm" when caring for patients (Dorman, 1995; Carey, 1928).
This page contains 201 words.
Medical Ethics article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 5,563 words
(approx. 19 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Medical ethics Article
