For some, ethics in medicine is like the proverbial obscenity in First Amendment protected speech. As United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said when discussing Jacobellis v. Ohio, “I know it when I see it.”
ASA has Guidelines for the Ethical Practice of Anesthesiology that can be found on our website. As we go to press, this guideline was last affirmed by the ASA House of Delegates on October 16, 2013. The following statement opens the guideline: “Membership in the American Society of Anesthesiologists is a privilege of physicians who are dedicated to the ethical provision of health care. The Society recognizes the Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA) as the basic guide to the ethical conduct of its members.”
The AMA Principles of Medical Ethics (2001) are clearly stated in the document. What follows that is the ASA Ethical Guideline, indicating that physician anesthesiologists...
