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Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?

This paper responds to the question: Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)? First, the social and political milieu in which this question arises is sampled. Here physicians as well as other members of the community are found decl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Angoff, N. R.
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 1991
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2589324/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1788990
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author Angoff, N. R.
author_facet Angoff, N. R.
author_sort Angoff, N. R.
collection PubMed
description This paper responds to the question: Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)? First, the social and political milieu in which this question arises is sampled. Here physicians as well as other members of the community are found declaring an unwillingness to be exposed to people with AIDS. Next, laws, regulations, ethical codes and principles, and the history of the practice of medicine are examined, and the literature as it pertains to these areas is reviewed. The obligation to care for patients with AIDS, however, cannot be located in an orientation to morality defined in rules and codes and an appeal to legalistic fairness. By turning to the orientation to morality that emerges naturally from connection and is defined in caring, the physicians' ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS is found. Through an exploration of the writings of modern medical ethicists, it is clear that the purpose of the practice of medicine is healing, which can only be accomplished in relationship to the patient. It is in relationship to patients that the physician has the opportunity for self-realization. In fact, the physician is physician in relationship to patients and only to the extent that he or she acts virtuously by being morally responsible for and to those patients. Not to do so diminishes the physician's ethical ideal, a vision of the physician as good physician, which has consequences for the physician's capacity to care and for the practice of medicine.
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spelling pubmed-25893242008-11-28 Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS? Angoff, N. R. Yale J Biol Med Research Article This paper responds to the question: Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)? First, the social and political milieu in which this question arises is sampled. Here physicians as well as other members of the community are found declaring an unwillingness to be exposed to people with AIDS. Next, laws, regulations, ethical codes and principles, and the history of the practice of medicine are examined, and the literature as it pertains to these areas is reviewed. The obligation to care for patients with AIDS, however, cannot be located in an orientation to morality defined in rules and codes and an appeal to legalistic fairness. By turning to the orientation to morality that emerges naturally from connection and is defined in caring, the physicians' ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS is found. Through an exploration of the writings of modern medical ethicists, it is clear that the purpose of the practice of medicine is healing, which can only be accomplished in relationship to the patient. It is in relationship to patients that the physician has the opportunity for self-realization. In fact, the physician is physician in relationship to patients and only to the extent that he or she acts virtuously by being morally responsible for and to those patients. Not to do so diminishes the physician's ethical ideal, a vision of the physician as good physician, which has consequences for the physician's capacity to care and for the practice of medicine. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 1991 /pmc/articles/PMC2589324/ /pubmed/1788990 Text en
spellingShingle Research Article
Angoff, N. R.
Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title_full Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title_fullStr Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title_full_unstemmed Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title_short Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?
title_sort do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with aids?
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2589324/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1788990
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