Responding to Fiester's Critique of a Bioethical Consensus Project. 2022

Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
Assistant Professor in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan, and a Clinical Ethicist at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan USA. abram.brummett@gmail.com.

We respond to Autumn Fiester's critique that our proposed bioethical consensus project amounts to "ethical hegemony," and evaluate her claim that ethicists should restrict themselves to "mere process" recommendations. We argue that content recommendations are an inescapable aspect of clinical ethics consultation, and our primary concern is that, without standardization of bioethical consensus, our field will vacillate among appeals to the disparate claims in the 22 "Core References," unsustainable efforts to defend value-neutral process recommendations, or become a practice of Lone Ranger clinical ethicists. We contend that a consensus document that captures the basic moral commitments of patients and careproviders is the next step in the professional evolution of our field.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012945 Social Values Abstract standards or empirical variables in social life which are believed to be important and/or desirable. Value Orientation,Values, Social,Value Orientations
D026688 Bioethical Issues Clusters of topics that fall within the domain of BIOETHICS, the field of study concerned with value questions that arise in biomedicine and health care delivery. Bioethical Issue,Issue, Bioethical,Issues, Bioethical
D026689 Ethical Analysis The use of systematic methods of ethical examination, such as CASUISTRY or ETHICAL THEORY, in reasoning about moral problems. Analysis, Ethical,Analyses, Ethical,Ethical Analyses
D026822 Ethicists Persons trained in philosophical or theological ethics who work in clinical, research, public policy, or other settings where they bring their expertise to bear on the analysis of ethical dilemmas in policies or cases. (Bioethics Thesaurus) Bioethicists,Bioethics Consultants,Clinical Ethicist,Clinical Ethicists,Ethicist, Clinical,Ethicists, Clinical,Ethics Consultants,Bioethicist,Bioethics Consultant,Consultants, Bioethics,Consultants, Ethics,Ethicist,Ethics Consultant
D032921 Consensus General agreement or collective opinion; the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned. Consensus Development,Development, Consensus
D033061 Ethics Consultation Services provided by an individual ethicist (ETHICISTS) or an ethics team or committee (ETHICS COMMITTEES, CLINICAL) to address the ethical issues involved in a specific clinical case. The central purpose is to improve the process and outcomes of patients' care by helping to identify, analyze, and resolve ethical problems. Consultation, Ethics,Consultations, Ethics,Ethics Consultations

Related Publications

Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
January 2006, Epidemiologia e prevenzione,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
May 2002, Social science & medicine (1982),
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
November 1978, The International journal of the addictions,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
December 2022, Journal of medical ethics,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
August 1998, American journal of epidemiology,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
January 2005, The Hastings Center report,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
March 2012, Journal international de bioethique = International journal of bioethics,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
June 1999, Theoretical medicine and bioethics,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
March 2004, Clinical child and family psychology review,
Abram L Brummett, and Jamie C Watson
February 1994, Science teacher (Normal, Ill.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!