Problematic Ethics: Public Opinion Surveys in Medico-legal Disputes.
HEC Forum
; 31(1): 1-10, 2019 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30334114
ABSTRACT
Public opinion surveys and polls have a long history as tools for the reportage of public sentiment. Born in the "straw polls" of nineteenth century politics, their use expanded in the last century to include a range of commercial and social subjects. In recent decades, these have included issues of medico-legal uncertainty including, in a partial list, abortion, fetal tissue research, and the propriety of medical termination. Because public opinion surveys are assumed to be "scientific," and thus unbiased, there has been little discussion of either their suitability in areas of complex, medico-legal uncertainty or the ethics of their use in these areas. This paper reviews their general history and then their use in the debate over medical termination, often called "medical aid in dying." In this review, two problems are highlighted. First, there is the ambiguous nature of polls and the manner of their construction. Second, there is the manner in which they are deployed as simple and definitive statements in areas of complex medico-legal debate. The result calls for caution in their use by ethicists and a clear duty by both academics and journalists to understand the limits of the medium in areas of medico-legal debate and discussion.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Opinión Pública
/
Disentimientos y Disputas
/
Ética Médica
/
Jurisprudencia
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
HEC Forum
Asunto de la revista:
ETICA
/
HOSPITAIS
/
JURISPRUDENCIA
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá