Comparative Bioethics

This course considers the legal regulation of medical decision-making and medical research from a comparative perspective. Specific topics include the doctrine of informed consent, competence standards, decision-making for incompetent patients, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, the sale/donation of body parts and services, and medical research, including emerging regulatory issues such as research fraud, replicability, and data management/privacy. For all topics, we will compare and contrast relevant regulatory strategies and law in the USA, the European Union, and China (now the leading site for clinical trials) as well international ethics codes such as the Helsinki and Geneva Declarations. Grading and Method of Evaluation: Letter grade with pass/fail option. With the instructor's permission, students may write a paper to satisfy the Upperclass Writing Requirement in lieu of taking a final examination.