Ethics Articles

General Medical Ethics

Ethical Issues in Dealing With Seasonal Influenza

Ethical Issues in Dealing With Seasonal Influenza
Sarah Ludwig

Influenza Vaccine Shortage: The Ethics of Rationing

Influenza Vaccine Shortage: The Ethics of Rationing
Sarah Ludwig

Seasonal Influenza: The Ethics of Staying Home

Seasonal Influenza: The Ethics of Staying Home
Sarah Ludwig

Kidneys for Sale: A Reconsideration

Ethical issues in a market for human organs
Miriam Schulman

Spark of Conscience Inflames Debate: Conscientious Refusals in Health Care

A conference held at Santa Clara University November 2011exploring conscientious refusals in health care
no author

A Case of Conscientious Refusal: Rights and Responsibilities

A Pharmacist Refuses to Fill a Prescription for Contraception.
Margaret R. McLean

Ethical Responsibilities of Hospital Trustees

Presentation to 2012 annual member Governance Conference of Premier Inc., one the two largest health care group purchasing organizations in the country.
Kirk O. Hanson

Pay Attention: Using Study Drugs

Offered some Adderall by a friend with a prescription, a freshman weighs whether using study drugs is the right thing to do.
Jake Teeny

Unavoidable Dilemmas in Bioscience

Center Bioethics Director McLean raises top ethical problems facing scientists and offers a framework for addressing them.
Margaret R. McLean

10 Milligrams (video)

Prize winning video on the use of study drugs on college campuses. From The Big Q contest for films on student ethics
Nicole Grazioli, Tara Khalilnaji, Jen LaPonte

Adderall=Cheating?

The ethics of taking study drugs. Entry in The Big Q contest for films on student ethics
Robyn Louie

Media's Effects on Body Image (video)

Commercials, movies, impact body image for students. Entry in The Big Q contest for films on student ethics
Kathryn Klein, Caitlin Whalen, Kristina Woodcock

Evolving Vaccine Trials: Adaptive Informed Consent in the Global Context

Challenges of insuring that participants in the developing world understand clinical trials and consent freely
Brenda Everling

Delinquency or Mental Health Problem? Reflection

Psychologist and professor Thomas Plante discusses the case of Pablo Sanchez
Thomas Plante

Delinquency or Mental Health Problem? The Case of Pablo Sancez

Providing culturally competent mental health care
Karen Peterson-Iyer

Thinking Ethically About MRSA

A set of materials on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus for high school and college coaches, trainers, and athletic directors

MRSA: Best Ethical Practices (pdf)

Core ethical concerns for prevention and management of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Margaret R. McLean

IPS Stem Cells: New Ethical Quandaries

Induced pluripotent stem cells raise questions about cloning, privacy, and informed consent
Sally Lehrman

Savior Siblings: A Case Study Based on My Sister's Keeper

Using the movie "My Sister's Keeper," this case study reviews the science and ethics behind designer babies
Kari Kjos

Organ Transplantation: Protecting Donor Dignity

An exploration of organ transplantation after cardiac death
Margaret R. McLean

Perspectives on Cognitive Enhancement

Hank Greely, professor of law at Stanford University, and the Emerging Issues Group at the Ethics Center look at the ethics of taking brain-boosting drugs.

Dignity of Being Human

An exploration of Catholic approaches to artificial nutrition and hydration (in "Health Progress).
Gerald D. Coleman, SS; Margaret R. McLean; Joan Ma

A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences

A case about Undocumented Parents and a Difficult Birth
Karen Peterson-Iyer

Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences - Reflections by Rebecca J. Hester

Response to a case study A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences
Rebecca J. Hester

Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences - Reflections by Nayamin Martinez

Response to a case study A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences
Nayamin Martinez

Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences - Reflections by Karen Peterson-Iyer

Response to a case study A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences
Karen Peterson-Iyer

Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences - Reflections by Marc Tunzi

Response to a case study A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences
Marc Tunzi

Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences - Reflections by Marc Tunzi

Response to a case study A Difficult Birth: Navigating Language and Cultural Differences
Marc Tunzi

Culturally Competent Care for Latino Patients: Introduction

An introduction to Culturally Competent Care for Latino Patients
Karen Peterson-Iyer

Relationship Between Physicians and Patients

Chair of the President's Council on Bioethics Edmund Pellegrino discusses the conflicts that can arise between patient autonomy and the personal beliefs of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists
Miriam Schulman

Reflections on Research Ethics

The editor of Science magazine and president emeritus of Stanford University discusses issues confronting universities and journals.
Donald Kennedy

Medical Ethics Meets Organizational Ethics

Lessons from both clinical and business ethics apply in a hospital context.

'G' Is for Genes and Genomes

Genetic testing poses ethical problems for individuals who may learn they have an illness for which there is no treatment.
Margaret R. McLean

'H' Is for Heredity and Huntington's

An introduction to the ethics of genetic counseling and genetic testing.
Margaret R. McLean

'I' Is for Information

an introduction to confidentiality and informed consent.
By Margaret R. McLean

'C' Is for Compassionate and Caring Community

An introduction to the virtue of compassion in a health care context.
Margaret R. McLean

'E' Is for Everyday Ethics

While the big issues like cloning or end-of-life treatment may catch the headlines, we deal with important ethical issues every day.
Margaret R. McLean

'F' Is for the Future

A discussion of consequences as an approach to ethics in a health care context
Margaret R. McLean

Don't Take Your Organs to Heaven

An analysis of the ethical issues in organ donation
Margaret R. McLean

Cases in Medical Ethics: Student-Led Discussions

A selection of medical ethics cases designed to help determine whether medicine is the correct calling for pre-medical students.
Chris Cirone

Steroids and Sports: The Ethics of Winning

Steroid use by athletes is a form of cheating.
Michael Dillingham

Xenotransplantation: Weighing Individual Benefit and Risks to the Public

Welcome to the world of xenotransplantation, where healthy animal organs are swapped for failing human organs.
Margaret R. McLean

Doctor-Patient Confidentiality

Letter to the editor of the New York Times.
Rob Elder

Friends don't let friends starve themselves

A student reflects on the ethical duties to friends who have eating disorders.
Meg Parker

Shhhhhhh, Don't Tell

What should a physical therapist do when she suspects that her patient isn't being entirely honest with his physician?
Wolfe, Smith, McLean, Shanks

We've Got You Covered

Covering for an incompetent RN creates problems for patients.
Wolfe, Williams, Smith, Silvestri, McLean

Should Violent Felons Receive Organ Transplants?

Reflection on the decision to grant a California prisoner a heart transplant.
David Perry

Healing The Wounds that Never Heal

A medical researcher struggles with access to experimental procedures for patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa.
Alfred Lane, M.D.

'A' is for Autonomy

A brief definition of autonomy as viewed in the context of medical ethics.
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

'B' is for Beneficience (and Baseball)

A brief description of beneficence in a medial context.
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

Are you Lost or Something?

A discussion of virtues in a hospital context.
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

Physician's Role in Organ/Tissue Donation

What are the ethical questions involved when asked to help out an illegal immigrant in desperate need of help?
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

Memories

In ethics, how we decide is just as important as what we decide
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

Happy Birthday!

Ethics in a hospital context.
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

Questions Anyone?

Questions facing a professional ethicist.
Margaret R. McLean, Ph.D.

The Acupuncture Alternative

Do physicians have a duty to refer patients to alternative forms of therapy?
Anh Tran, S.J.