Strange Bedfellows:How Medical Jurisprudence has Influenced Medical Ethics and Medical Practice

The relationship between law and bioethics and the influence of both on medical research and clinical practice is a topic that is often mentioned but rarely subjected to sustained critical analysis. This book considers a number of issues in medicine in which the influence of the law has been most profound and positive including: informed consent; advance directives; constitutional liberties and privacy; and standards for pain management and end-of-life care. The book provides important background material on significant legal and philosophical concepts, terms and principles necessary to an understanding of the legal process and ethical analysis. This work establishes that the role of law in medicine and bioethics has been positive and its continuing involvement in the rights of research subjects and patients is necessary.