AMA Code of Medical Ethics

Ethics code of the American Medical Association (AMA), with related updates and opinions. The code, which can be read online or downloaded to PDAs, covers social policy issues (such as abortion, capital punishment, cloning, and end-of-life care), patient-physician relationships, confidentiality, and other ethical issues. "CEJA Reports" includes papers on topics such as medical testimony and organ donation. Also find a history of the AMA principles of medical ethics. From the American Medical Association.

URL: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2498.html

A&A Publishers: Hard Choices for Loving People

This site features the full text of the book "Hard Choices for Loving People." Written by a nursing home and hospice chaplain, the book discusses the difficult decisions patients and caregivers face when dealing with terminal illness and the end of life. Covers cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), dialysis, feeding, use of respirators, pain relief, and hospice care, with the intent of helping people make informed choices. Also includes excerpts from a related book.

URL: http://www.hardchoices.com/

 

BioethicsWeb

This site is "a gateway to evaluated, quality Internet resources relating to biomedical ethics, including ethical, social, legal and public policy questions arising from advances in medicine and biology, issues relating to the conduct of biomedical research and approaches to bioethics." Features lists of annotated links. Searchable or browsable by category. From the Wellcome Trust, a British independent charity "funding research to improve human and animal health."

URL: http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/bioethicsweb/

Blueprint of the Body

This site examines the historic event of a completed draft of a "master blueprint of a human being," - a massive database known as the genome, mapping "All the DNA in an organism, including its genes." It presents links to essays on medical, business, ethical, and legal implications; a glossary; interviews; story and video archives (requires QuickTime, Windows Media, or RealPlayer); and an interactive guide to the genome. Part of the CNN In-depth Specials series.

URL: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/genome/

 

Breach of Trust: Physician Participation in Executions in the United States

This 1994 document takes the position that "a physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution." The report's opinions are of interest in relation to the refusal of two anesthesiologists to participate in the 2006 scheduled execution of California death row inmate Michael Morales. From American College of Physicians, Human Rights Watch, and other organizations.

URL: http://hrw.org/reports/1994/usdp/

Euthanasia and the Right to Die

Legal, medical, and ethical issues involved in palliative care, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

URL: http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/dtheuth.html

 

 

EPERC: End of Life/Palliative Education Research Center

"The purpose of EPERC is to share educational resource material among the community of health professional educators involved in palliative care education." Includes peer-reviewed educational materials, a conference and meeting calendar, Web links, and "Fast Facts" on a range of topics such as ethics, pain, and clinical interventions. From the Medical College of Wisconsin.

URL: http://www.eperc.mcw.edu

 

 

Genomics.energy.gov: Genome Programs of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science

This enormous site covers the human genome project, genomics generally, biomass, cloning, genetic testing, medical applications, and ethical, legal, and social issues. From the Office of Biological and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

URL: http://genomics.energy.gov/

 

 

Human Genome Project Information

"Completed in 2003, the Human Genome Project (HGP) was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health." This site provides background and updates on the project (data analysis is ongoing). Topics include medical and genetic implications, and ethical, legal, and social issues. Also includes material for teachers and students. From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Human Genome Program.

URL: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml

The Journal of Philosophy, Science & Law

This online journal "is an interdisciplinary forum dedicated to examining issues in the intersection of applied philosophy, science, and the law." It presents peer-reviewed articles back to 2001 on topics such as gene patents, assisted reproductive technology, bioethics, and punishing medical experts. Sponsored by the University of Miami Ethics Programs and the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy.

URL: http://www.psljournal.com

Life and Death in the War Zone

This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) NOVA program that follows the activities of a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) during two months in 2003 during the Iraq War. The site features an essay about the ethical issues faced by combat doctors, a slide show, and an interactive feature about military medicine from the Civil War to the Iraq War. Also includes links and a teacher's guide.

URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/combatdocs/

National Newborn Screening & Genetics Resource Center (NNSGRC)

This site provides information for health professionals and the public about newborn screening and genetics. It includes lists of tests available by state, laboratories offering expanded newborn screening, and reports and links on genetics, ethics, health care policy, and birth defects. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Texas Health Science Center.

URL: http://genes-r-us.uthscsa.edu/

 

Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Banks

This guide's mission is to provide medical pros and cons for banking and storage of umbilical cord blood, and to explain the difference between donating to a public registry versus a private bank. It discusses ethical issues, costs, research, and stem cells. It has a questionnaire of issues which parents should address before making donor decisions. Company Links lists companies providing private Cord Blood Banks (CBB), along with a guide to help evaluate their services.

URL: http://parentsguidecordblood.org/

 

 

Spirituality and Medicine

This article, written for physicians, centers on ethical topics related to religious beliefs and practices of medical patients. Topics include the pervasiveness of religious belief, the importance of spirituality in medicine, how to take a spiritual history, respect of patients' religious beliefs, and more. From Ethics in Medicine, a project of the University of Washington School of Medicine.

URL: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/spirit.html

 

 

The Stem Cell Debate

This special presentation from CNN covers the pros and cons of the stem cell debate from the ethical, political, and scientific points of view. An animated explanation is presented on how stem cells are harvested. Evidence of promises of treating neurological diseases is offered by researchers.

URL: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/stemcell/

 

 

Schiavo Case Resources

This site collects policy and legal materials related to Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was the focus of an ongoing end-of-life legal case. She had been in a persistent vegetative state since 1990 and, after the feeding tube was removed, died March 31, 2005. Features a timeline, a selected bibliography, Web links, and streaming video of conference presentations. From the University of Miami Ethics Programs.

URL: http://www.miami.edu/ethics/terri_schiavo_case.html

Virtual Mentor: American Medical Association Journal of Ethics

Articles from this American Medical Association (AMA) publication cover issues related to medical ethics that "students, residents and other physicians are likely to confront in their training and daily practice." Topics include "access to care, quality-of-life considerations in clinical decision making, public roles of physicians, ethical issues in endocrinology, [and] conflict of values in the clinic." Archives go back to 1999.

URL: http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/