Legal Briefing: Coerced Treatment and Involuntary Confinement for Contagious Disease

My latest “Legal Briefing” column is now up over at the Journal of Clinical Ethics.  "Legal Briefing: Coerced Treatment and Involuntary Confinement for Contagious Disease" covers recent legal developments involving coerced treatment and involuntary confinement for contagious disease. Recent high profile court cases involving measles, tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus, and especially Ebola, have thrust this topic back into the bioethics and public spotlights. This has reignited debates over how best to balance individual liberty and public health.  For example, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues has officially requested public comments, held open hearings, and published a 90-page report on “ethical considerations and implications” raised by “U.S. public policies that restrict association or movement (such as quarantine).” Broadly related articles have been published in previous issues of JCE. We categorize recent legal developments on coerced treatment and involuntary confinement into the following six categories:1.   Most Public Health Confinement Is Voluntary2.   Legal Requirements for Involuntary Confinement3.   New State Laws Authorizing Involuntary Confinement4.   Quarantine Must Be as Least Restrictive as Necessary5.   Isolation Is Justified Only as a Last Resort6.   Coerced Treatment after Persistent Noncompliance
Source: blog.bioethics.net - Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tags: Health Care medical futility blog syndicated Source Type: blogs