Controversies in Healthcare Law and Ethics module (LW50112)

Understanding healthcare law and ethics is essential for navigating complex issues and controversies. This module teaches the skills needed to develop deep knowledge and understanding of potential legal dilemmas. It also covers how to offer legal, ethical, and procedural solutions to them.

What you will learn

In this module you will:

• explore the topics of abortion, maternal-fetal conflicts, genetic selection, withholding or withdrawing treatment, assisted dying and patient decisions about medical treatment
• develop analytical skills related to healthcare law controversies
• learn about the laws and tests that can be applied to different cases
• discuss the nature of complex moral dilemmas and the related laws and tests

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• analyse complicated healthcare law dilemmas and propose legal, ethical and procedural solutions
• discuss and write about relevant laws and cases involving controversies in healthcare
• analyse complex moral dilemmas within the framework of civil and common law tests
• understand the principles guiding controversies in healthcare law and ethics

Assignments / assessment

• coursework (100%)

This module has 6 components:

1. Foetal status and abortion 
2. Prenatal harm  
3. Maternal/foetal conflict 
4. Assisted suicide 
5. Euthanasia 
6. Withdrawal of treatment

An understanding of each is checked using a formative or summative assignment that is either an online test or a piece of written work.

This module does not have a final exam.

Teaching methods / timetable

Time in guided independent study including the completion of assessment tasks with individual access to tutors for advice.