Syllabi: Medicine, Ethics, and Law: The Practice of a Profession

INSTITUTION: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine

PRESENTER: David L. Jamison, M.A., J.D. A member of the University of Akron faculty since 1972, Professor Jamison teaches in the University's Law School and School of Communication. He has also taught courses in Human Rights, Civil Liberties, and in the Women's Studies program at Akron. He previously served as Akron's BS/MD program coordinator and as its NEOUCOM Liaison Officer.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Martin Kohn, Ph.D., Director of the Human Values in Medicine Program (email: mfk@neoucom.EDU)

ENROLLMENT: BS/MD; selective; limit: 25

SEMESTER: Spring 2000
April 17, 19, 24, 26, May 1, 3, 8, 10 (Monday/Wednesday afternoons 1:00-5:00 p.m.)

LEARNING GOALS:

1. To encourage an understanding of some of the legal constraints confronting today's physician

2. To deepen understanding of common areas of professional interaction between physician and attorney

3. To stimulate thinking about the ethical and moral issues in those places where law and medicine interface

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Through lecture-discussion, case analysis, situation simulations, and directed reading, students will confront some of the issues which face physicians in today's legal environment from the abortion controversy through concerns of active care through right to die cases. The seminar is NOT designed to provide legal advice; rather, through reading and informed discussion, its goal is to allow the medical student to think critically about concerns of our society in regard to human life, patient care, risk assessment, public health, and assignment of the costs of medico-legal decisions.

RESPONSIBILITIES/REQUIREMENTS: Each student will: 1. Write and present to the class two short (4-5 pp) thought papers on course topics. First one due and presented on Wednesday, April 26 second one on Wednesday, May 10

2. Take the lead in organizing the class discussion on one of the subtopics listed below (subtopics identified by numbers next to the topic)

3. Read all pages assigned, attend class sessions and participate actively in discussions.

OUTLINE:

All readings are from: Classical Cases in Medical Ethics: Accounts of the Cases That Have Shaped Medical Ethics, with Philosophical, Legal, and Historical Backgrounds (2nd edition, 1995), Gregory E. Pence (ed.), NY: McGraw-Hill. Required for purchase (available in the NEOUCOM Bookstore) and on reserve in the NEOUCOM Information Center:

Introduction and the Quinlan case, pp. 1-17

Cruzan case and ethical issues, pp. 17-33

Final Directives, Living Wills, Powers of Attorney

1) Assisted Suicide, pp. 34-61

2) Assisted Dying, pp. 62-89

3) IVF & Louise Brown, pp. 93-119

4) Surrogacy, pp. 120-145

5) "Bertha≤" and Teen Pregnancy, pp. 365-383

6) & 7) The Abortion Debate, pp. 146-173

8) Impaired Newborns, pp. 174-199

Presentations of first thought papers

9) Animal Subjects, pp. 203-223

10) Adult Human Subjects, pp. 225-252

11) Infants and Research, pp. 314-335

12) Transplants, pp. 253-271

13) Artificial Hearts: Barney Clark, pp. 272-292

14) Allocation Issues, pp. 293-313

15) Commitment: Joyce Brown, pp. 339-364

16) Testing: Wexler & Bergalis, 384-442

Presentation of second thought papers