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. 1985 Apr 13;290(6475):1117-9.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6475.1117.

An introduction to philosophical medical ethics: the Arthur case

R Gillon

An introduction to philosophical medical ethics: the Arthur case

R Gillon. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). .

Abstract

KIE: The application of moral theory to decisions involving medical ethics is illustrated by the 1981 case in which a British pediatrician, Dr. Leonard Arthur, was acquitted of attempted murder for prescribing dihydrocodeine and "nursing care only" for a Down's syndrome newborn after the child had been rejected by his mother. Gillon outlines the moral arguments of the "prosecution" and the "defense," and then categorizes their various premises in accordance with concepts of normative ethical theory.

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