Listening or Telling? Thoughts on Responsibility in Clinical Ethics Consultation

Abstract

This article reviews the historical and current controversies about the nature of clinical ethics consultation, as a way to focus on the place and responsibility of ethics consultants within the context of clinical conversation -- interpreted as a form of dialogue. These matters are approached through a particularly compelling instance of the controversy that involves several major figures in the field. The analysis serves to highlight very significant questions of the nature and constraints of clinical situations, and the moral responsibility and legal accountability that are especially important for clinical ethics consultants.