title: Best interests, the power of the medical profession, and the power of the judiciary.
abstract: This paper is a response to a paper by John Coggon 'Best Interests, Public Interest, and the Power of the Medical Profession'. It argues that certain legal judgements in relation to best interests seek to change and curtail the role of the medical profession in this arena while simultaneously extending the jurisdiction of the courts. It also argues that we must guard against replacing one professional standard, that of the medical profession, with another, that of the judiciary in this area.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Ethics and Policy/Institute of Science, Ethics and Innovation, School of Law, University of Manchester, Rm 2.07 Williamson Building, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. muireann.quigley@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Muireann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quigley
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D032781:Codes of Ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*