While some argue that live footage of emergency room treatment is beneficial to the general public, the AMA's Code of Medical Ethics states that such taping is a violation of patient privacy and patient confidentiality.

Many public health officials are calling for mandatory vaccination against smallpox for all emergency medical workers, but the possibility of adverse reactions to the vaccine raises questions of compensation for those injured.

A medical student's poem describing the thoughts and images given voice by a mentally ill homeless person the student has befriended.

A case study of nephrologists examines physicians' attitudes towards patients in advanced stages of kidney disease and how these attitudes affect the end-of-life care the patient receives.

The legal battle Oregon is facing over physician-assisted suicide affects a patient terminally ill with liver cancer who has expressed desire to end her own life.

A formula designed to help physicians select appropriate dosage when changing the route of opioid administration for pain management.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that physician-assisted suicide is a matter of states' rights, there are many ethical and legal issues still unresolved for physicians.

The Do Not Resuscitate policy in many hospitals brings about ethical questions regarding hospital policy towards terminally ill patients and end-of-life care.

Three reports considered by the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs are described, along with the process for revising the AMA's Code of Medical Ethics and trivia about contraceptive use.