Court rules that patients have a right to disbelieve doctors

By Dominic Wilkinson, Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford
Bryanna Moore, Assistant Professor, Health Humanities and Bioethics, University of Rochester
Johnna Wellesley, PhD Candidate, Bioethics, The University of Texas Medical Branch

There is a clear ethical and legal principle that adults have a right to make decisions about their health. This is sometimes called the principle of patient autonomy. That is, of course, why doctors need patients’ consent before providing the treatment they recommend.

But we only really notice the ethical significance of this principle when patients make choices that go against medical advice and that doctors think are unwise or even dangerous. If we respect autonomy, those…

Read complete article

~	Global plastics treaty: UN experts call for centrality of human rights

~	ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu and Hamas leader doesn’t mean those accused will face trial anytime soon

~	World Update: Donald Trump is already reshaping the prospects of Ukraine and Palestinians

~	AI could soon be making major scientific discoveries. A machine could even win a Nobel Prize one day

~	ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes

~	Cricket balls can concuss and even kill batters – at all levels, helmet use must be taken seriously

~	A man scouring Google Earth found a mysterious scar in the Australian outback – and now scientists know what caused it

~	Humans are killing off the old and wise animals that hold nature together. Here’s what must change

~	Yes, you still need to use sunscreen, despite what you’ve heard on TikTok

~	RNA editing is the next frontier in gene therapy – here’s what you need to know