Citations of:
The right not to know and the obligation to know
Journal of Medical Ethics 46 (5):300-303 (2020)
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There is an ongoing debate in medicine about whether patients have a ‘right not to know’ pertinent medical information, such as diagnoses of life-altering diseases. While this debate has employed various ethical concepts, probably the most widely-used by both defenders and detractors of the right is autonomy. Whereas defenders of the right not to know typically employ a ‘liberty’ conception of autonomy, according to which to be autonomous involves doing what one wants to do, opponents of the right not to (...) |
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Response to commentaries on 'The right not to know and the obligation to know'. |
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In his subtle and well-argued paper,1 Ben Davies argues for a limited but still strong right not to know held by patients against medical professionals. Patients may have such a right against health professionals to be sure, but if and only if, that right has been granted to them by the health professionals in question, their professional body or rules regarding professional conduct. In my judgement, patients do not have a moral RNTK and should have no such legal right neither, (...) |
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The ‘right not to know’ can be used by patients as a safeguard against the effects that certain medical information can have on their well-being. At first glance, one might reason it suitable for a patient to enact their RNTK. However, although Davies states that RNTK gives people the ability to both protect themselves from self-perceived harm and exercise their autonomy, I will argue that ‘not knowing’ hinders patients’ ability to exercise their existential freedom and represents what Sartre calls an (...) |
