After the infant’s birth, the neonatologist’s first duty is to his or her patient—the newly born infant. If clinical circumstances are different than anticipated, the physician must first consider the best interests of the baby.
Katherine Gentry, MD, MA and Aaron Wightman, MD, MA
A patient’s refusal of tracheostomy during an anticipated difficult intubation prompts critical questions about how to best express respect for a pediatric patient’s autonomy and whether and when deviation from standard of care is clinically and ethically appropriate.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(8):E683-689. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.683.
Kyle B. Brothers, MD, PhD and Esther E. Knapp, MD, MBE
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing requires that physicians share decision making with patients, not order unnecessary tests or interventions, and refer to genetic specialists when necessary.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(9):E812-818. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.812.
The Holocaust and the racial hygiene doctrine that helped rationalize it still overshadow contemporary debates about using gene editing for disease prevention.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(1):E49-54. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.49.
Jonathan S. Towner, PhD, Luke Nyakarahuka, PhD, MPH, BVM, and Patrick Atimnedi, BVM
Marburg virus is carried by the Egyptian rousette bat, a common cave-dwelling fruit bat endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where populations can exceed 50 000.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(2):E109-115. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.109.
Gregory C. Gray, MD, MPH, Laura A. Pulscher, PhD, MSc, and Hisham O. Alsharif, MBBS
Since the 1990s, multiple infectious diseases have “spilled over” from nonhuman animals to infect humans and cause significant global morbidity and mortality.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(2):E122-131. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.122.
John Timothy Kayiwa, MSc, Benard Matovu, MS, Michael Mutebi, Charity Angella Nassuna, MSc, Leonara Nabatanzi, Kevin T. Castle, DVM, MS, Robert M. Kityo, PhD, MS, and Rebekah C. Kading, PhD, MS
Bats are diverse mammals, globally distributed and ecologically critical, yet some carry disease agents that have severe consequences for human health.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(2):E153-161. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.153.