The religious justification for male circumcision proffered by Jewish and Islamic parents is frequently overlooked in current secular (medical/hygienic) discussions that (1) challenge the moral justification of this ancient practice, and (2) question the decisions of today's parents who are committed, on the basis of their religious beliefs, to continue this practice. This paper reviews critically these conflicting values and arguments and calls for compromise in the face of potential state intervention to coerce parents to abandon this practice. Keywords: disease (...) prevention, medicalization, mutilation, religious values, routine neonatal circumcision, therapeutic state CiteULike Connotea Del.icio.us What's this? (shrink)

Liberating Medicine David Seedhouse Unit for the Study of Health Care Ethics, Department of General Practice, University of Liverpool, UK Amid the increasing debate about the practice of medicine and the delivery of health care lie certain fundamental questions: What is the purpose of medicine? What is the role of the medical profession? and Where should the limits of medical intervention be set? In a world of rapid scientific and technological advance, public expectations place increasing demands on the doctor’s skills, (...) and the scope of medical practice needs constantly to be redefined. Yet few guidelines exist on how to go about this. Liberating Medicine is designed to help doctors and health care professionals to understand the role, scope and purpose of their work, by showing that through heightened recognition of possible goals and potential limits, doctors will be more free to select the most beneficial targets for their health work, to plan their strategies for care freely within their practice, and to be able to liberate more fulfilling potentials in those for whom they care. Although rooted in theoretical analysis the book is essentially practical. It contains teaching exercises, a model which can be used to show doctors how close to the limits of practice they are, and a workable checklist for use in interactions with individual patients. All those involved in the study and practice of medicine—but particularly medical students and their teachers—will find this a thought-provoking, stimulating and innovative guide to the philosophical principles of medicine and how these can be applied to everyday practice. Other Related Books Health: The Foundations for Achievement David Seedhouse September 1986 Ethics: The Heart of Health Care David Seedhouse July 1988 Changing Ideas in Health Care Edited by David Seedhouse and Alan Cribb June 1989 Philosophical Medical Ethics Raanan Gillon October 1986. (shrink)

Bioethicists are increasingly commenting on health care resource allocation, and sometimes suggest ways to solve various rationing dilemmas ethically. I argue that both because of the assumptions bioethicists make about social reality, and because of the methods of argument they use, they cannot possibly make a useful contribution to the debate. Bioethicists who want to make a practical difference should either approach health care resource allocation as if the matter hinged upon tribal competition (which is essentially what it does), or (...) they should do political philosophy in the traditional sense, and examine the health system from the outside. (shrink)

This paper responds to Dr Cassell's request for a fuller explanation of my argument in the paper, Against medical ethics: a philosopher's view. A distinction is made between two accounts of ethics in general, and the philosophical basis of health work ethics is briefly stated. The implications of applying this understanding of ethics to medical education are discussed.