Ethical Considerations in Global Health for Obstetrician-Gynecologists

There is growing interest in the area of global health by obstetricians-gynecologists. As more of these physicians become involved in this important and exciting undertaking, the physicians are potentially exposed to situations in which they may have to deal with ethical questions that they may not have previously considered. Some of the principles which frame the ethical problems that obstetricians-gynecologists may encounter include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice. We believe that exposure to ethical principles and study of cases involving ethical issues will be of benefit to the physicians and their patients, and that this exposure takes place before these doctors are placed in the environments and circumstances they might face as they travel to distant locations