Should there be limits to political commentary by medical journals?

Abstract

Within the last three years there has been considerable comment and discussion, especially in electronic online forums, regarding the appropriateness of including political commentary in medical journals. Given the mandates of representative journals, and the direct impact politics can have on the health of populations, it is appropriate that politically related commentaries be included in medical journals. However, these commentaries should adhere to five criteria: the issue should be discussed in terms of its impact on health; any challenges based in ethical principles should use the relevant ethics code; if challenging the actual ethics of a group, the standard should be one that is globally accepted; all defamatory comments should be excluded; and journals should not participate in academic boycotts. Given adherence to these criteria, medical journals can expand their continued impact on health-related topics, without moving beyond their mandates.