Issues in medical ethics are rarely out of the media and it is an area of ethics that has particular interest for the general public as well as the medical practitioner. This short and accessible introduction provides an invaluable tool with which to think about the ethical values that lie at the heart of medicine. Tony Hope deals with the thorny moral questions such as euthanasia and the morality of killing, and also explores political questions such as: how should health care resources be distributed fairly? Each chapter in this book considers a different issue: genetics, modern reproductive technologies, resource allocation, mental health, medical research, and discusses controversial questions such as: * Who should have access to reproductive technology? Who should pay? * Is it right to fund expensive drug treatment for individuals? * Should active euthanasia be legalized? * Should treatment for mental illness be imposed on patients without their consent? * Who should have access to information from genetic testing? * Should we require consent for the use of dead bodies or organs in medical research?

Author Biography

Tony Hope is Professor of Medical Ethics, University of Oxford, and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist. He is founder of the Oxford Centre of Ethics and Communication Skills in Health Care Practice (Ethox), and co-author of both The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine and Manage Your Mind, both published by OUP.