Week 1 (Week of Aug. 21): Argumentation and Disagreement; Introduction to Moral Theory

Primary Reading:
- Beauchamp, T. and Childress, J. (2009) Principles of Biomedical Ethics (7th ed.), chapter 9 "Moral Theories." Oxford University Press: Oxford. (for weeks 1-3).
Additional Optional Readings:
- James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, chs. two, five, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Week 2 (Week of Aug. 28): Introduction to Moral Theory (cont.).

Primary Reading:
- Beauchamp, T. and Childress, J. (2009) Principles of Biomedical Ethics (7th ed.), chapter 9 "Moral Theories." Oxford University Press: Oxford. (for weeks 1-3).
- Gustafsson, J. E. (2022). Bentham’s mugging. Utilitas, 34(4):386–39. (It's a fun, quick read.)
Additional Optional Readings:
- James Rachels, chs. seven, eight, nine and ten.
- A bit higher level of entry point but still a good introduction to Virtue Ethics can be found at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP). Good entries to check out include Aristotle's Ethics and Virtue Ethics.
Other Stuff:
- See what happens in Peter Singer's basement.
- Bonus! Here's a photo of Jeremy Bentham at UCL. You can see his head (yes, his head) near the bottom between his feet. On the terms of his will, he attends faculty board meetings at UCL. I've heard rumor that he is recorded as "present but not voting," or that in the case of a tie he casts the deciding vote (being "no").

Week 3 (Week of Sep. 4): The Principles of Medical Ethics

Primary Reading:
- Gillon, R. (1994). Medical ethics: Four principles plus attention to scope. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 309(6948): 184–188.
Secondary/Optional Reading:
- Dawson, A. and Garrard, E. (2006). In defence of moral imperialism: four equal and universal prima facie principles. Journal of Medical Ethics, 32(4): 200–204.
Keywords: The Principles of Medical Ethics

Week 4 (Week of Sep. 11): Applying Moral & Ethical Theories (Case Studies)

Case Studies:
- Shaner, D. M. (2010). Up in the air — suspending ethical medical practice. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(21): 1988–1989.
- Young, M. J. and Lehmann, L. S. (2014). Undocumented injustice? Medical repatriation and the ends of health care. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(7):669–673.
Keywords: Applying Moral & Ethical Theories

Week 5 (Week of Sep. 18): Deception in Medicine and Medical Ethics.

Primary Reading:
- Meyer, C. (2021). Deception and the Clinical Ethicist. The American Journal of Bioethics, 21:5, 4-12.
- Kaldjian, L. & Pilkington, B. (2021). Why Truthfulness is the First of the Virtues. The American Journal of Bioethics, 21:5, 36-38.
Secondary Reading (Optional):
- Gallagher et al. (2009). Disclosing Harmful Medical Errors to Patients: Tackling Three Tough Cases. Chest, 136:3, 897-903. (Gallagher et al. have a similar article in NEJM (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra070568)
- AJOB open peer commentaries on Meyer (2021)
Keywords: Deception in Medicine

Week 6 (Week of Sep. 25): The Obligation to Provide Care: Conscientious Objection & Healthcare Providers

Primary Reading:
- Card, R. F. (2007). Conscientious objection and emergency contraception. The American Journal of Bioethics, 7(6):8–14.
  - Select Commentaries in AJOB (2007) 7(6). (Read at least one--your choice.)
Secondary Readings (Optional):
- Childress, J. F. (1985). Civil Disobedience, Conscientious Objection, and Evasive Noncompliance: A Framework for the Analysis and Assessment of Illegal Actions in Health Care. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine, 10(1):63–84. doi: 10.1093/jmp/10.1.63
- Cantor, J. and Baum, K. (2004). The limits of conscientious objection — may pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception? New England Journal of Medicine, 351(19):2008– 2012.
- Savulescu, J. (2006). Conscientious objection in medicine. BMJ, 332(7536):294–297.
- Curlin, F. A., Lawrence, R. E., Chin, M. H., and Lantos, J. D. (2007). Religion, conscience, and controversial clinical practices. New England Journal of Medicine, 356(6):593–600.
- Harris, L. H. (2012). Recognizing conscience in abortion provision. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(11):981–983.
- Yang, C. (2020). The inequity of conscientious objection: Refusal of emergency contraception. Nursing Ethics, 27(6):1408–1417.
- Wicclair, M. (2020). Allocating ventilators during the covid-19 pandemic and conscientious objection. The American Journal of Bioethics, 20(7):204–207. PMID: 32716798.
Keywords: Conscientious Objection

Week 7 (Week of Oct. 2): The Obligation to Provide Care: Civil Disobedience in Healthcare and Medicine

Primary Reading:
- King, M. L. (1963). Letter from birmingham jail. The Atlantic Monthly, 212(2):78–88.
- Wynia, M. K. (2022). Professional civil disobedience — medical-society responsibilities after Dobbs. New England Journal of Medicine, 387(11):959–961.
- Quill, T. E. (1991). Death and dignity. New England Journal of Medicine, 324(10):691–694.
Secondary Reading (Optional):
- Childress, J. F. (1985). Civil Disobedience, Conscientious Objection, and Evasive Noncompliance: A Framework for the Analysis and Assessment of Illegal Actions in Health Care. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine, 10(1):63–84. doi: 10.1093/jmp/10.1.63
- Arey, W., Lerma, K., Beasley, A., Harper, L., Moayedi, G., and White, K. (2022). A preview of the dangerous future of abortion bans — Texas senate bill 8. New England Journal of Medicine, 387(5):388–390.
- Also see Group Case Study Possible Topics for additional readings (especially on medically-assisted-dying).
Keywords: Civil Disobedience

Week 8 (Week of Oct. 16): Disability, Normal Function, and Genetic Enhancement

Primary Reading:
- - Savulescu, J. (2001). Procreative beneficence: Why we should select the best children. Bioethics, 15(5-6):413–426.
Secondary Reading (optional):
- Philosophers of biology on the scientific value of 'normal' and role of 'essence' in biology:
  - Hull, D. L. (1986). On human nature. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, 1986:3–13.
  - Dupré, J. (1986). Sex, gender, and essence. Midwest Studies In Philosophy, 11(1):441–457.
  - Dupré, J. (1998). Normal people. Social Research, 65(2):221–248.
  - Amundson, R. (2000). Against normal function. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 31(1):33–53.
  - Lewens, T. (2010). Foot note. Analysis, 70(3):468–473.
  - Lewens, T. (2012). Human nature: The very idea. Philosophy & Technology, 25(4):459–474.
- On disability, disability rights, variation, and bioethics:
  - Disability-rights advocate Harriet McBryde Johnson's very personal description of her visit to spar with Peter Singer at Princeton. "Unspeakable Conversations" in the New York Times, February 16, 2003. (Interesting and powerful challenge to Singer's global utilitarianism.)
  - Amundson, R. and Taira, G. (2005). Our lives and ideologies: The effect of life experience on the perceived morality of the policy of physician-assisted suicide. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 16(1):53–57.
  - Garland-Thomson, R. (2012). The case for conserving disability. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 9(3):339–355. doi: 10.1007/s11673-012-9380-0.
  - Tabery, J. (2014). Identifying the able in a Vari-able world. In Bauman, H.-D. L. and Murray, J. J., editors, Deaf Gain: Raising the Stakes for Human Diversity. University of Minnesota Press.
  - Washington, N. (2016). Culturally unbound: Cross-cultural cognitive diversity and the science of psychopathology. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 23(2):165–179.
Keywords: Disability and Normal Function

Week 9 (Week of Oct. 23): Pediatric Autonomy and the Right to Consent or Refuse Vaccination

Everyone should read this case study (it's a quick 2-page read):
- Eisenberg, L. R. (2022). “I can decide for myself:” adolescents who wish to consent for COVID-19 vaccination. The American Journal of Bioethics, 22(1):62–63.
Everyone needs to read at least one of the following:
- Buchanan, C. A. (2022). Until adolescents can consent for vaccination, protecting them from COVID-19 will require counseling skeptical parents. The American Journal of Bioethics, 22(1):68–70. (Response to Eisenberg)
- Mubarak, E. and Firn, J. (2022). When parents don’t want their teenager to be vaccinated against COVID-19, who calls the shots? The American Journal of Bioethics, 22(1):66–68. (Response to Eisenberg).
- Morgan, L., Schwartz, J. L., and Sisti, D. A. (2021). COVID-19 Vaccination of Mi- nors Without Parental Consent: Respecting Emerging Autonomy and Advancing Public Health. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(10):995–996.
- Silverman, R. D., Opel, D. J., and Omer, S. B. (2019). Vaccination over parental objection — should adolescents be allowed to consent to receiving vaccines? New England Journal of Medicine, 381(2):104–106.
- Yang, Y. T., Olick, R. S., and Shaw, J. (2019). Adolescent Consent to Vaccination in the Age of Vaccine-Hesitant Parents. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(12):1123–1124.
Up to date(ish) information on COVID-19 Vaccines and Boosters:
- Barouch, D. H. (2022). Covid-19 vaccines — immunity, variants, boosters. New England Journal of Medicine, 387(11):1011–1020.
Good Background Resources (Optional):
- Saxena, S., Skirrow, H., Maini, A., Hayhoe, B., and Pollok, N. (2022). Consenting children aged under 18 for vaccination and treatment. BMJ, 377.
- American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Bioethics (2016). Informed consent in decision-making in pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 138(2):e20161484.
Secondary Reading (Optional--Good if Your Group Wants to Focus on This Topic):
- Parsapoor, A., Parsapoor, M.-B., Rezaei, N., and Asghari, F. (2014). Autonomy of children and adolescents in consent to treatment: Ethical, jurisprudential and legal considerations. Iranian Journal of Pediatrics, 24(3):241–248.
- Ross, L. F. (2015). Theory and practice of pediatric bioethics. Perspectives in biology and medicine, 58(3), 267-280.
- Ross, L. F. (2009). Against the tide: Arguments against respecting a minor’s refusal of efficacious life-saving treatment. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 18(3):302–315.
- Blustein, J. (2009). Response: Against the tide: Arguments against respecting a minor’s refusal of efficacious life-saving treatment. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 18(3):315–320.
- Clayton, E. W. (2009). Response: Against the tide: Arguments against respecting a minor’s refusal of efficacious life-saving treatment. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 18(3):320–322.
- Kodish, E. (2003). Informed consent for pediatric research: Is it really possible? The Journal of Pediatrics, 142(2):89–90.
- Harrison, C. (2010). Truth telling in pediatrics: what they don’t know might hurt them. Pediatric bioethics, 73-86.
- Hester, D. (2012). "Ethical Issues in Pediatrics."Guidance for healthcare ethics committees. Hester, D. M., & Schonfeld, T. (Eds.). Cambridge University Press.
- Archard, D. (2003). "Children." The Oxford handbook of practical ethics. LaFollette, H. (Ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Brouwer et al. (Forthcoming). Ethics Rounds: If adult euthanasia is legal, should pediatric euthanasia be legal as well?

Keywords: Pediatric Autonomy

Week 10 (Week of Oct. 30): Health Care Disparities

Primary Reading:
- Liao, S.-y. and Carbonell, V. (2023). Materialized oppression in medical tools and technologies. The American Journal of Bioethics, 23(4):9–23. PMID: 35262465.
- Plus, read at least one of the associated AJOB Commentaries.
Additional/Secondary Reading:
- Jordan, M., (2017, March 18). Rural areas brace for a shortage of doctors due to visa policy. New York Times.
- Roberts, L. W., Johnson, M. E., Brems, C., & Warner, T. D. (2007). Ethical disparities: challenges encountered by multidisciplinary providers in fulfilling ethical standards in the care of rural and minority people. The Journal of Rural Health, 23(s1), 89-97.
- CDC Press Release
- Blair, I. V., Steiner, J. F., & Havranek, E. P. (2011). Unconscious (implicit) bias and health disparities: where do we go from here? The Permanente Journal, 15(2), 71.
- Nicholl, J., West, J., Goodacre, S., & Turner, J. (2007). The relationship between distance to hospital and patient mortality in emergencies: an observational study. Emergency Medicine Journal, 24(9), 665-668.
- Sabin, J. A., & Greenwald, A. G. (2012). The influence of implicit bias on treatment recommendations for 4 common pediatric conditions: pain, urinary tract infection, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and asthma. American journal of public health, 102(5), 988-995.
- Burgess, D., Van Ryn, M., Dovidio, J., & Saha, S. (2007). Reducing racial bias among health care providers: Lessons from social-cognitive psychology. Journal of general internal medicine, 22(6), 882-887.
- Venkatapuram, S. and Marmot, M. (2009). Epidemiology and social justice in light of social determinants of health research. Bioethics, 23(2):79–89.
- Recent AJOB issues addressing health care disparities:
  - "Innovating for a Just and Equitable Future in Genomic and Precision Medicine Research" (2023 special issue), volume 23, no. 7.
  - AJOB special issue on racial injustice, healthcare, and bioethics (2021), volume 21, no. 2.
Clarification on Implicit Bias:
- Banaji, M. R., & Greenwald, A. G. (2016). Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. Bantam.
Keywords: Healthcare Disparities

Week 11 (Week of Nov. 6): Group Case Studies: Independent In-Class Work

This week is for you to work on your Group Case Study Report. You can find instructions, guidance, and possible topics by clicking here.
Group Case Study Discussion

Week 12 (Week of Nov. 13): Conversational AI in Psychotherapy.

Primary Reading:
- Sedlakova, J. and Trachsel, M. (2023). Conversational artificial intelligence in psychotherapy: A new therapeutic tool or agent? The American Journal of Bioethics, 23(6). PMID: 35362368.
- Knox, B., Christoffersen, P., Leggitt, K., Woodruff, Z., and Haber, M. H. (2023). Justice, vulnerable populations, and the use of conversational AI in psychotherapy. The American Journal of Bioethics, 23(5):48–50. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2023.2191040
Secondary Reading:
- Washington, N. (2016). Culturally unbound: Cross-cultural cognitive diversity and the science of psychopathology. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 23(2):165–179.
- Tekin, S. (2021). Is Big Data the New Stethoscope? Perils of Digital Phenotyping to Address Mental Illness. Philosophy & Technology, 34(3):447–461.
- Take a look at other AJOB Commentaries too: AJOB v.23, n.5.
Keywords: Conversational AI and Psychotherapy

Week 13 (Week of Nov. 20): Student Skills Week (Thanksgiving Week)

How to Ask For a Letter of Recommendation;

Week 14 (Week of Nov. 27): Group Case Presentations

Nov. 28
- Slot 1:
- Slot 2: Harm Reduction (Dayttn, Alex, Addy)
- Slot 3:

Nov. 30
- Slot 1: Haber's Studious Students: Topic TBD (Emily Z., Elise, Luke, Emily M.)
- Slot 2: How Disability Definitions Effect Human Enhancement (Ajla, Katherine, Tavan, Duncan, Yasmine)
- Slot 3: Civil Disobedience and Insurance (Olivia, Porter)

Week 15 (Week of Dec. 4): Group Case Study Presentations; Revisiting the Principles of Biomedical Ethics

Tuesday, Dec. 5
- Slot 1: Physician Participation in Capital Punishment (Sara, Sarah, Shannon)
- Slot 2: Gene Editing (Cole, Emily H., Logan)
- Slot 3: Deafness & Disability? (Thelonius, Jacqueline, Dru)

Thursday, Dec. 7 is our final keyword discussion!

Primary Reading:
- Gillon, R. (2015). Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good medical practice and therefore for good medical ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(1):111–116.
- A link to the special issue of JME: "What is it to do good medical ethics?" (34 papers to browse!)
Refresh Your Memory:
- Gillon, R. (1994). Medical ethics: Four principles plus attention to scope. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 309(6948):pp. 184–188.
- Gillon, R. (2003). Four scenarios. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5):267–268.
Then Select At Least One (Or Find Another):
- Beauchamp, T. L. (2003). Methods and principles in biomedical ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5):269–274.
- Campbell, A. V. (2003). The virtues (and vices) of the four principles. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5):292–296.
- Gardiner, P. (2003). A virtue ethics approach to moral dilemmas in medicine. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5):297–302.
- Huxtable, R. (2013). For and against the four principles of biomedical ethics. Clinical Ethics, 8(2-3):39–43.
- Macklin, R. (2003). Applying the four principles. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5):275–280.
Keywords: Revisiting the Principles of Biomedical Ethics