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Getting a second opinion has become routine in medicine – and it often boosts patients’ confidence in their care. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

May 28, 2026

Should you get a second medical opinion? A surgeon explains why doing so can make you a more confident patient

Danielle Friedman, Quinnipiac University

Seeking a second opinion is a patient’s right. Knowing how empowering another perspective can be may make it less awkward to ask for one.

Right to die activist Sean Davison (left) speaks to the press after three years of house arrest. Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images

June 29, 2022

The right to die: unpacking an ethical dilemma in South Africa

Chris Jones, Stellenbosch University

People make decisions throughout their lives about their health. But when they are terminally ill they are not allowed to decide when they want to die.

Over the past couple of decades there has been a shift away from upholding patient autonomy to prioritizing public health. Terry Vine/DigitalVision via Getty Images

March 24, 2022

Vaccine hesitancy is complicating physicians’ obligation to respect patient autonomy during the COVID‑19 pandemic

Ryan Liu, Penn State

New ethical issues are emerging during COVID-19 as doctors struggle with their obligations to ‘do no harm’ and respect patient autonomy.

Top contributors

Ryan Liu
Family Medicine Resident Physician, Penn State
Chris Jones
Associate Professor: Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology, head of the Unit for Moral Leadership, Stellenbosch University
Danielle Friedman
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Quinnipiac University

Articles on Patient autonomy

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