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The medical profession contains five "spheres of morality": clinical care, clinical research, scientific knowledge, population health, and the market. These distinct sets of normative commitments require physicians to act in different ways depending on the ends of the activity in question. For example, a physician-scientist emphasizes patients' well-being in clinic, prioritizes the scientific method in lab, and seeks to maximize shareholder returns as a board member of a pharmaceutical firm. Physicians increasingly occupy multiple roles in healthcare and move between them frequently, creating the possibility of conflict between the ethical obligations of their various roles. This paper examines the entire moral landscape of medicine through the lens of role morality. It develops a novel framework that helps physicians recognize how their moral commitments depend on the nature and context of the situation, clarifies ethical conflicts that physicians face, and concludes with ideas for resolving these conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the clinical promise of much stem cell research remains largely theoretical, patients are nonetheless pursuing unproven stem cell therapies in jurisdictions around the world—a phenomenon referred to as “stem cell tourism.” These treatments are generally advertised on a direct-to-consumer basis via the Internet. Research shows portrayals of stem cell medicine on such websites are overly optimistic and the claims made are unsubstantiated by published evidence. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that parents are pursing these “treatments” for their children, despite potential physical and financial risk. Physicians are in a unique position as they can be expected to be involved in, or privy to, such decisions. In this paper, we consider what duties physicians may have toward minor patients whose parents/guardians wish to engage in stem cell tourism on their behalf. We use the Canadian perspective to address the broadly relevant issues raised by this trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on a paper by Ronald Lindsay concerning his evaluation of the 10-year experience with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. According to the author, Lindsay's evaluation focuses on the arguments that such a law would result in widespread abuses. The author criticizes the Oregon statute for involving physicians in assisted dying.

The article reflects on issues regarding the ethics of physician involvement in capital punishment discussed in the paper "The ethical elephant in the death penalty room," by Michael Keane. It discusses ethical issues on the death penalty and the role-specific rights and obligations of physicians in the medical profession.