Weight loss is not a safe, effective, or permanent method of health promotion, and pharmacotherapeutical approaches pose specific risks to adolescents.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(7):E478-495. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.478.
It is unconstitutional--and unethical--for physicians to participate in evidence-gathering against pregnant women suspected of being addicted to illegal substances without informing them of their constitutional rights or gaining their informed consent.
Richard A. Yoast, MA, PhD, William J. Filstead, PhD, Bonnie B. Wilford, MS, Susan Hayashi, PhD, Jennifer Reenan, MD, and Jorie Epstein
Curriculum changes can help physicians in training diagnose and treat substance abuse, but there are significant barriers to implementing such changes.
A commentary about the need for a physician to communicate in a manner that will encourage honest patient disclosure and motivate behavior change, where necessary.
In a study of New York physicians' compliance with reporting of communicable diseases, surveyed physicians responded better to legal warnings than to requests that explained public health benefits.
Physicians need to exhaust every possible alternative to bring about political changes before resorting to breaking the law as an act of civil disobedience.