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Inside the Ethics Committee

Joan Bakewell is joined by a panel of experts to wrestle with the ethics arising from a real-life medical case.

Radio 4,36 episodes

Episodes

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Series 12
Permanent Vegetative State: Withdrawing Nutrition and Hydration
Is it ethical to withdraw nourishment from a young man in a permanent vegetative state?
04 Aug 2016,43 mins
Series 12
Growth Restriction in Pregnancy
The dilemmas faced by couples and medical teams when a baby stops growing in the womb.
11 Aug 2016,43 mins
Series 12
Sharing Genetic Information
If you have a life-threatening gene fault, do blood relatives have a right to know?
18 Aug 2016,43 mins
Series 11
Amputation
Should a surgeon agree to a young woman's request to amputate her leg?
16 Jul 2015,43 mins
Series 11
Suicide
How far should a medical team go to prevent a young woman from ending her life?
23 Jul 2015,43 mins
Series 11
Withdrawing Feeding in Children
Is it ever ethical to withhold food and water in a child who is not dying?
30 Jul 2015,43 mins
Series 11
Teenager Refuses Chemotherapy
Ashley is 15 and refusing chemo. Should the medical team and his mum accept his choice?
06 Aug 2015,43 mins
Series 10
Treating Teenagers
A diabetic teenager who struggles to take the treatment she needs to stay well.
17 Jul 2014,43 mins
Series 10
Organ Donation and Newborn Babies
Under what circumstances can parents donate the organs of their newborn baby after death?
24 Jul 2014,43 mins
Series 10
Treating Patients with Dementia
When should doctors treat the ailments of people with dementia and when should they not?
31 Jul 2014,43 mins
Series 10
Treating Smokers
Should patients with severe lung disease be given home oxygen if they continue to smoke?
07 Aug 2014,43 mins
Series 9
Assisted Conception and Disability
Should a woman with severe disabilities be helped to get pregnant?
08 Aug 2013,43 mins
Series 9
End of Life and Islam
What happens when Muslim beliefs are at odds with medical decisions?
15 Aug 2013,43 mins
Series 9
Genetic Testing in Children
Should a mother be allowed to have her children tested for a life-threatening faulty gene?
22 Aug 2013,43 mins
Series 9
Lung Transplant Teenager
How much should a seriously ill 17-year-old know about his condition and its prognosis?
29 Aug 2013,43 mins
Series 8
Restraining Patients in Intensive Care
Should an autistic man be forced to have the life-saving treatment he is fighting against?
19 Jul 2012,43 mins
Series 8
Too Old to Donate?
Should an elderly woman be allowed to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger?
26 Jul 2012,43 mins
Series 8
Preventing Pregnancy in Homeless Women
To what lengths should a medical team go to encourage homeless women to avoid pregnancy?
02 Aug 2012,43 mins
Series 8
Ventilation in Children
Should children with degenerative, life-limiting conditions be kept alive at all costs?
09 Aug 2012,43 mins
Series 7
Unconscious and Pregnant
How do you make medical decisions about an unconscious woman when she is pregnant?
14 Jul 2011,45 mins
Series 7
Withdrawing Treatment
Can conscious patients stop treatment, even when this will directly lead to their deaths?
28 Jul 2011,45 mins
Series 6
Mentally Ill and Refusing Surgery
Should a man who believes his life-saving surgery is a conspiracy to kill him be forced?
20 Jul 2010,45 mins
Series 6
Childhood Illness
When should a seriously ill child have a say in their treatment?
27 Jul 2010,45 mins
Series 6
Obesity Surgery
Should the NHS pick up the pieces when private treatment has unexpected consequences?
03 Aug 2010,45 mins
Series 6
Advance Directive
A woman with a living will attempts suicide. Should she be admitted to intensive care?
10 Aug 2010,45 mins
Series 5
Phobia
Should a young man with a phobia of operations be forced to have life-saving surgery?
16 Jul 2009,45 mins
Series 5
Transplant
Should a woman be given a kidney transplant when there is a high risk of failure?
23 Jul 2009,45 mins
Series 5
Screening
At what point is a woman's disability an obstacle to her having fertility treatment?
30 Jul 2009,45 mins
Series 5
Terminally Ill and Suicidal
Should a terminally-ill and suicidal woman be monitored against her will?
06 Aug 2009,45 mins
Series 4
Episode 1
Three-year-old Catherine desperately needs a bone marrow transplant from a sibling.
06 Aug 2008,45 mins