title: HIV infection, risk taking, and the duty to treat.
abstract: The paper advances a consequence-based argument in support of the American Medical Association's policy that a physician may not ethically refuse to treat a person with HIV solely because the patient is seropositive. A limited number of alternative arguments, both in support of and in opposition to this policy are also considered, but are found wanting. The paper then concludes with a discussion of some of the other obstacles to quality health care that persons with HIV must often confront.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Kansas State University, KS, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smolkin
mesh_terms: D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D003068:Coercion; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000628:therapy*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D028681:Moral Obligations; D009014:Morals; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000150:complications; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D036302:Therapeutic Human Experimentation; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States; D035141:Voluntary Programs