What role should physicians have in defining the purposes oftheir profession — the functions that medicine shouldand should not serve? Many observers hold that medicine's aimsare for doctors and patients to decide, without interferencefrom the state. But in fact, government limits medicine's purposesin many ways. Doctors cannot prescribe mind-altering substancesfor recreational use or anabolic steroids to enhance athleticperformance. Physicians were once barred from terminating pregnancies,and today, in 49 states, they are not allowed to assist theterminally ill in ending their lives. In some jurisdictions,psychiatrists cannot medicate condemned prisoners to make . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Source Information
Dr. Bloche is professor of law at Georgetown University and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, both in Washington, D.C., and adjunct professor at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Charo, R. A.
(2007). The Partial Death of Abortion Rights. NEJM
356: 2125-2128
[Full Text]
Emanuel, E. J.
(2006). Changing premed requirements and the medical curriculum.. JAMA
296: 1128-1131
[Full Text]
Gostin, L. O.
(2006). Physician-assisted suicide: a legitimate medical practice?. JAMA
295: 1941-1943
[Full Text]
Interview
