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Synopsis
Do patients have the right to know their physician's HIV status?
Can a dentist refuse treatment to an HIV-positive patient?
How do educators determine whether to allow an HIV-positive child to attend school, and if they do, should the parents of other children be informed?
Should a counselor break confidentiality by disclosing to a wife that her husband is infected with HIV?
This collection of original essays carefully examines the difficult moral choices the AIDS pandemic has presented for many professionals-physicians, nurses, dentists, teachers and school administrators, business managers, psychotherapists, lawyers, clergy, journalists, and politicians. In the workplace, problems posed by HIV and AIDS have led to a reexamination of traditional codes of ethics. Providing systematic and reasoned discussions, the authors explore the moral, legal, and ethical issues involved in the reconsideration of policies, standards of conduct, and the practicality of balancing personal and professional ethics.
Publishers Weekly
This collection of original essays examines the difficult moral choices that AIDS presents in the work world. Cohen, a professor of philosophy at Indian River Community College and the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Applied Philosophy , and Davis, a senior research associate at the Center for the Study of Ethics in Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology, tell us these choices are faced by a wide range of professionals--not all in health care. Although the book is targeted for an audience of students and professionals, the general reader will find much food for thought. The introduction is a primer on AIDS, dissecting the connection between AIDS and professional ethics. The bulk of the essays then go on to provide a reasoned discussion of the legal, moral and ethical issues involved in confronting the AIDS crisis. Questions discussed include: Do patients have the right to know the HIV status of their doctor? Can a medical professional refuse to treat an HIV-positive patient? Should an HIV-positive child be allowed to attend school? One essay discusses the case of William Acer, the HIV-positive dentist who allegedly infected six of his patients. In another, the manager of a cafeteria learns that a cook under consideration for a promotion has AIDS. By reexamining traditional ethics, the book asks readers to grapple with complex issues and make the choice between theory and application in today's workplace. (May)