Physicians should be aware of the level of emotional distress and suffering that a patient is experiencing as a result of his or her illness and incorporate that into the patient's treatment plan.
Physicians should demonstrate compassion when the parent of an ill child asks the physician for his or her personal opinion regarding the parents' choice to continue experimental treatment when the prognosis is not good.
Physicians who treat children with Down's syndrome should ensure that their parents fully understand the children's capabilities and long-term prognosis and counsel them on the appropriate actions to take regarding their children's care.
Physicians should go beyond basic medical diagnosis and treatment to offer support to families about the gamut of social and emotional issues that are involved with caring for a severely disabled child.
Professor Richard L. Cupp Jr joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: “How Might Corporations’ and Nonhuman Animals’ Personhood Compare Under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments?”
Whether and to what extent constitutional equal protection should apply to some nonhuman animals can be considered in light of corporations having gained such protection.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(9):E690-695. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.690.