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A Necessary Kindness

The author strongly supports a woman’s right to choose, arguing for the decriminalisation of abortion in the UK, suggesting that it should be regulated as a part of healthcare. She describes recent cases where women have been given custodial sentences which have
6 April 2024
1 min read
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The risks of medical investigation are often overlooked

Investigations themselves can throw up results that are difficult to interpret, and they may reveal abnormalities of uncertain significance. To highlight these issues to our patients would constitute more ethical practice, would foster greater patient empowerment, and could result in a frame
22 March 2024
6 mins read
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The real Doc Martin

Notwithstanding the corny connection to a fictional character, and the 'old school' approach to confidentiality, this is a charming and authentic memoir. An anecdote is by definition an unpublished story - and Martin Stagg has converted his anecdotes into 'ecdotes.'
9 March 2024
3 mins read
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Framing the debate: Race-based requests in medicine

...requests for race-based concordance is a complicated area of medicine, and it is one that is not easily dealt with through formulised policies. Instead, well-reasoned judgements by the care team through a deliberative process, that begin with ethical frameworks, might provide a
10 December 2023
7 mins read

Gender justice requires gender amnesty

'When reading the spread of articles in this issue it struck me that we need diversity to be better clinicians, colleagues, and citizens.' Andrew Papanikitas reflects this month's Life and Times articles, discussing gender, diversity, narrative and queer bioethics.
30 June 2023
4 mins read

The Oxford handbook of medical ethics and law

It is a brief and easily searchable quick reference. and it covers key ethical tools to think through a case and it covers key aspects of the law as well as a variety of practice specific situations, but has an interesting flaw...
24 June 2023
3 mins read
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Why we must stop “consenting the patient”

Slight changes in phraseology can dramatically alter the central meaning of a vitally important principle.  By “consenting the patient” instead of “seeking meaningful consent,” the right of our patients to be involved in choices about their treatment and care... is exchanged with
30 April 2023
7 mins read

The cliff and the bog

You need to keep going, but stray too far to the left and you’ll be over the cliff edge before you know it; go too far to the right and you’ll be bogged down, and who knows what state you’ll be in
11 November 2022
4 mins read
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The intelligence-wisdom gap, and the urgent need to close it

Due to the accelerating power of our technological arsenal, and the contrasting stasis of our professional wisdom, the intelligence-wisdom gap is expanding at a blistering pace.  With formidable technologies on the scientific horizon – nanotechnology, CRISPR, and general-purpose AI – the necessity
7 November 2022
9 mins read
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The suicide hierarchy

Austin O'Carroll critiques a moralistic definition of suicide that culminates in a unjust hierarchy of worthiness for compassion and support. Seeing beyond intention to the causes of despair may be more helpful
24 August 2022
7 mins read
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The stoic GP

Stoic philosophy was based on the recognition that we cannot escape what is destined for us. An acceptance of inevitability has a number of implications for working as a GP. Austin O'Carroll wrestles with fate.
26 March 2022
5 mins read
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