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BMJ Publishing Group, BMJ, 7006(311), p. 667-669, 1995

DOI: 10.1136/bmj.311.7006.667

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Clinical ethics committee.

Journal article published in 1995 by J. G. Thornton ORCID, R. J. Lilford
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

An informal clinical ethics committee was set up to advise on ethical problems in prenatal diagnosis in Leeds. It was used twice in six months but was not called on again in the subsequent year, and we describe this experience. In North America similar committees are often used to advise on clinical moral dilemmas, and we review the published evidence from there and discuss some of the advantages and problems. Our committee's advice may have altered clinicians' actions considerably, but perhaps doctors in Britain are not yet ready to surrender this aspect of clinical autonomy.