GRANT R.GILLETT LEARNING TO DO NO HARM

ABSTRACT. The legalisation of euthanasia creates a certain tension when it is compared with those traditional medical principles that seem to embody respect for the sanctity of life. It also creates a real need for us to explore what we mean by harm in relation to dying patients. When we consider that we must train physicians so that they not only understand ethical issues but also show the virtues in their clinical practice, it becomes important for us to strive to train them in virtue rather than mere knowledge. We can only do this by conveying a real sense of the needs of the patient and an ability to relate to patients as people not problems. Such attitudes take shape in a training programme in which practical situations are explored and discussed and the limits of scientific medical responses to those challenges are exposed. Key Words: bioethics education, euthanasia, moral judgment, training, virtue We took our cat to the vet because it seemed to have a tender flank and to resent people holding it in certain ways. We thought this might be related to its problems of soiling in the house, and we were told that it had a kind of personality disor-der. When we asked what treatment we could use, we were told that some people chose to have their cats 'put to sleep ' for this problem as it was so intractable. Not unnaturally, we considered this a somewhat Draconian solution. The solution suggested for our cat would not be entertained for a human being and is unlikely ever to be, no matter what changes we make to our laws regarding medical practice. If asked why there was such a difference between our treatment of a human being and a cat, a number of people would mention something like the sanctity of human life. The ethical codes governing medical practice have often endorsed this idea but it is not dear that in and of itself it is an adequate answer to this an