•  51
    The Danger of Double Effect
    Christian Bioethics 18 (3): 287-300. 2012.
    In this paper, I argue that the doctrine of double effect is disposed toward abuse. I try to identify two distinct sources of abuse of double effect: the conditions associated with standard formulations of double effect and the difficulty of fully understanding one’s own intentions in action. Both of these sources of abuse are exacerbated in complex circumstances, where double effect is most often employed. I raise this concern about abuse not as a criticism of double effect but rather as a prob…Read more
  •  6
    Fostering Medical Students’ Commitment to Beneficence in Ethics Education
    with Joseph Caruana
    Voices in Bioethics 10. 2024.
    PHOTO ID 121339257© Designer491| Dreamstime.com ABSTRACT When physicians use their clinical knowledge and skills to advance the well-being of their patients, there may be apparent conflict between patient autonomy and physician beneficence. We are skeptical that today’s medical ethics education adequately fosters future physicians’ commitment to beneficence, which is both rationally defensible and fundamentally consistent with patient autonomy. We use an ethical dilemma that was presented to a g…Read more
  •  7
    Terminalism and assisted suicide
    Journal of Medical Ethics 50 (2): 124-125. 2024.
    Four of the commentaries criticised my claim that assisted suicide for the terminally ill is discriminatory. 1 They were united in this judgement roughly because they insisted that assisted suicide is in fact a benefit and not a harm. I concede that if it is a benefit, then there is no way in which the terminally ill can be disadvantaged by it and hence no way it can be an instance of discrimination. I pointed out in the article that this issue is controversial and could not be settled in my art…Read more
  •  1
    Patient and economic benefits of psychological support for noncompliant patients
    with Lisa A. Osborne, C. Mair Whittall, Simon Emery, and Roberto Truzoli
    Frontiers in Psychology 13. 2022.
    The current paper provides an overview of treatment noncompliance at various points in the treatment pathway, especially with respect to treatment for Pelvic-floor Dysfunction. The effects of noncompliance on healthcare are considered, and examples of supporting patients psychologically to increase compliance are discussed. An outline of a method to identify costs of non-compliance, and where such costs most intensely impact the healthcare system, is provided. It is suggested that psychological …Read more