Daniel Sperling
Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between law and bioethics and calls for a careful evaluation of the law’s contributions to bioethics. It argues that while the law contributed extensively to the development of bioethics, it introduced a language and a way of thinking that are not necessarily appropriate to handle and resolve bioethical issues, and which, in a significant portion of cases, was irrelevant and had little impact on decision-making and behavioural patterns of patients.
Sperling D. Law and Bioethics: A Rights-Based Relationship and Its Troubling Implications. In: Freeman M, editor. Law and Bioethics: Current Legal Issues. Oxford: Oxford University Press2008 Oct. p. 52-78.