The challenge of lay membership of clinical ethics committees

Abstract

Most clinical ethics committees (CECs) have lay members. Why are they there, how are they chosen, and what do they do? Can their presence make health professionals less prone to jargon and hospital politicking, and can the lay members ever hope to represent the broad sweep of patients when many of them are white, middle class females? As hospital managers embrace CECs and even boast about them, will their informality be lost, with consequent exposure of professional and lay members to public scrutiny and criticism? Will brave, open discussion be stifled, and the purpose of the committees ultimately be lost?