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AMA Code of Medical Ethics
Code of Medical Ethics overview
A page from the AMA Code of Medical Ethics
Code of Medical Ethics Preface & Preamble
Page zoomed in on the word ethics, being underlined by a red-inked pen
Why does the medical profession need a code of ethics?
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2 MIN READ

Transparency in Health Care

Physicians have an obligation to inform patients about all appropriate treatment options, including the risks and benefits of alternatives.

Ethics
1 MIN READ

Conflicts of Interest in Patient Care

Under no circumstances may physicians place their own financial interests above the welfare of their patients.

Ethics
1 MIN READ

Abortion

A physician may perform an abortion in accordance with good medical practice and under circumstances that do not violate the law.

Ethics
3 MIN READ

Cloning for Reproduction

Reproductive cloning has the potential to be used in a eugenic or discriminatory fashion—practices that are incompatible with the ethical norms of medicine.

Ethics
2 MIN READ

Storage & Use of Human Embryos

Ethical concerns arise regarding who has authority to make decisions about stored embryos and what kinds of choices they may ethically make.

Ethics
3 MIN READ

Preventing, Identifying & Treating Violence & Abuse

Physicians have an ethical obligation to take appropriate action to avert the harms caused by violence and abuse.

Ethics
3 MIN READ

Third-Party Reproduction

Third-party reproduction is a form of assisted reproduction in which a woman agrees to bear a child and relinquish the child to other individuals to rear.

Ethics
2 MIN READ

Expedited Partner Therapy

Although expedited partner therapy has been demonstrated to be effective at reducing the burden of certain diseases, it also has ethical implications.

Ethics
2 MIN READ

Required Reporting of Adverse Events

As professionals who prescribe and monitor the use of drugs and medical devices, physicians are best positioned to observe and communicate about adverse events.

Ethics