The Law and Ethics of Medicine: Essays on the Inviolability of Human Life
John Keown
Abstract
The book explains the principle of the sanctity or inviolability of human life and its continuing relevance to English law governing aspects of medical practice at the beginning and end of life. It shows that the principle, though widely recognized as an historic and foundational principle of the common law, has been widely misunderstood, not least in the legal academy, at the Bar and on the Bench. Part I of the book identifies the confusion and clarifies the principle, distinguishing it from “vitalism” on the one hand and a “qualitative” evaluation of human life on the other. Part II addresse ... More
The book explains the principle of the sanctity or inviolability of human life and its continuing relevance to English law governing aspects of medical practice at the beginning and end of life. It shows that the principle, though widely recognized as an historic and foundational principle of the common law, has been widely misunderstood, not least in the legal academy, at the Bar and on the Bench. Part I of the book identifies the confusion and clarifies the principle, distinguishing it from “vitalism” on the one hand and a “qualitative” evaluation of human life on the other. Part II addresses legal aspects of the beginning of life, including the history of the law against abortion and its relevance to the ongoing abortion debate in the US; the law relating to the “morning after” pill; and the legal status of the human embryo in vitro. Part III addresses legal aspects of the end of life, including the euthanasia debate; the withdrawal of tube-feeding from patients in a “persistent vegetative state”; and the duty to provide palliative care.
Keywords:
medical law,
health law,
sanctity of life,
inviolability of life,
abortion,
euthanasia,
palliative care
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2012 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199589555 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2012 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199589555.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
John Keown, author
Rose Kennedy Professor, Kennedy Institute Of Ethics, Georgetown University
More
Less
