There can be few aspects of life which have altered so dramatically in the past few decades as the relationship between medicine and the law. Treatments become more and more sophisticated as each advance in medicine is made. At the same time, the legal and moral issues surrounding such treatments have multiplied and have become increasingly sensitive and complex. Introducing the reader to important topics which include genetics, consent, negligence, research, assisted reproduction and mental health, the book outlines what the current law is, why it is so and what it may become in the future. This book provides wide-ranging coverage of the most important ethical and moral issues that face healthcare professionals, lawyers and the general public alike and it offers a unique insight into the problems that healthcare providers and patients can be expected to encounter both today and in the future.
Acknowledgements; Dedication; Preface; A note on abbreviations; 1. About medicine and the law; 2. Resources - who decides; 3. The confidential relationship; 4. The therapeutic partnership; 5. Refusal of consent; 6. Medical negligence; 7. Using people for research; 8. Assisted reproduction; 9. Genetics and pregnancy; 10. Termination of pregnancy; 11. Genetics, insurance and employment; 12. Is life worth living?; 13. Disposal of the body and body parts; 14. Sex, gender and the law; 15. Mental health and mental capacity; 16. The law and the elderly.
