Pregnancy Centers: A Clear Purpose of Medicine with Coherent Ethics.

The Linacre Quarterly
Christopher Lisanti, Sandy Christiansen

Abstract

What is the purpose of medicine? This fundamental question is at the heart of the criticisms faced by pregnancy centers (PCs) and accusations that they are unethical. PCs maintain that the purpose of medicine is to treat and prevent disease. Because pregnancy is not a disease, PCs do not advocate for elective abortion or contraceptives. PCs view the function of values (e.g., autonomy) as constraints upon physicians that prevent physical and ethical harms. Their critics either embrace an ill-defined purpose of medicine such as promoting well-being or conflate the value of autonomy with medicine's purpose. This leads to a subjective view of medicine and changes the relationship from physician-patient to vendor-customer. This subjective nature along with its attendant vendor-customer relationship cannot solve for current or future ethical problems such as sex-selective abortion and its fatal discrimination against females. Pregnancy Centers embrace a traditional "treat and prevent disease" purpose of medicine.  This clear and objective purpose logically leads to not advocating for abortion or contraceptives.  The authors outline a coherent ethical structure outlining the role values play in regards to this purpose. This is contras...Continue Reading

References

Oct 29, 1994·BMJ : British Medical Journal·K Calman
Mar 29, 2003·Journal of Clinical Pathology·T M Reynolds
Jun 17, 2005·The New England Journal of Medicine·R Alta Charo
Aug 30, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Therese Hesketh, Zhu Wei Xing
Feb 3, 2007·Obstetrics and Gynecology·UNKNOWN Committee on Ethics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Apr 3, 2007·Obstetrics and Gynecology·UNKNOWN ACOG Committee
Nov 6, 2007·Obstetrics and Gynecology·UNKNOWN American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Jun 3, 2008·Obstetrics and Gynecology·UNKNOWN Committee on Ethics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, UNKNOWN Committee on Genetics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Feb 28, 2009·PloS One·Christophe Z GuilmotoToan Ngo Van
Mar 27, 2009·The New England Journal of Medicine·Julie D Cantor
Jun 18, 2009·Archives of Disease in Childhood·Brian G Skotko
Jan 26, 2010·Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology·Peter A Benn, Audrey R Chapman
Sep 4, 2010·World Journal of Surgery·Stavros A AntoniouAthanasios I Antoniou
Sep 13, 2011·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part a·Brian G SkotkoRichard Goldstein
Sep 13, 2011·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part a·Brian G SkotkoRichard Goldstein
Sep 15, 2011·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part a·Brian G SkotkoRichard Goldstein
Mar 1, 2012·Journal of Medical Ethics·Alberto Giubilini, Francesca Minerva
Jul 9, 2013·BMC Women's Health·M Antonia BiggsDiana Greene Foster
Mar 19, 2015·European Journal of Human Genetics : EJHG·Wybo DondorpUNKNOWN American Society of Human Genetics
Jul 29, 2016·Genetics in Medicine : Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics·Anthony R GreggMichael S Watson
Mar 16, 2018·AMA Journal of Ethics·Amy G Bryant, Jonas J Swartz
Jul 22, 2018·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Rita Rubin

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
X-ray
contraception

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Women's Health Issues : Official Publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
Prabhat LamichhaneJillian T Henderson
The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care : the Official Journal of the European Society of Contraception
Farina Gul AbrejoNarjis Rizvi
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved