| Should doctors intentionally do less than the best? | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 10226916 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The papers of Burley and Harris, and Draper and Chadwick, in this issue, raise a problem: what should doctors do when patients request an option which is not the best available? This commentary argues that doctors have a duty to offer that option which will result in the individual affected by that choice enjoying the highest level of wellbeing. Doctors can deviate from this duty and submaximise--bring about an outcome that is less than the best--only if there are good reasons to do so. The desire to have a child which is genetically related provides little, if any, reason to submaximise. The implication for cloning, preimplantation diagnosis and embryo transfer is that doctors should only produce a clone or transfer embryos expected to enjoy a level of wellbeing which is less than that enjoyed by other children the couple could have, if there is a good reason to employ that technology. This paper sketches what might constitute a good reason to submaximise. |
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Authors:
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J Savulescu |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Comment; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of medical ethics Volume: 25 ISSN: 0306-6800 ISO Abbreviation: J Med Ethics Publication Date: 1999 Apr |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1999-06-30 Completed Date: 1999-06-30 Revised Date: 2009-11-18 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7513619 Medline TA: J Med Ethics Country: ENGLAND |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 121-6 Citation Subset: E; IM |
Affiliation:
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Murdoch Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Beneficence* Child Welfare Cloning, Organism* Complicity* Decision Making* Disabled Persons Ethics, Medical* Female Genetic Diseases, Inborn* Humans Infant, Newborn Male Moral Obligations* Patient Selection Personal Autonomy* Pregnancy Preimplantation Diagnosis* Social Values* Stress, Psychological |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment On:
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J Med Ethics. 1999 Apr;25(2):108-13
[PMID:
10226914
]
J Med Ethics. 1999 Apr;25(2):114-20 [PMID: 10226915 ] |
Comment In:
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J Med Ethics. 1999 Apr;25(2):127-9
[PMID:
10226917
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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