Utterly tasteless: Monty Python on informed consent
“Bring out yer dead…”
Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail may remember this
excruciatingly funny (or excruciatingly tasteless) scene in which the collector
of dead bodies in a plague-stricken city deals with the issue of euthanasia:
"Bring out yer dead; bring out yer dead!" It serves as a textbook case of lack
of informed consent. (HT to Medical Futility blog)
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn’t: I’m getting better!
Large Man With Dead Body: No, you’re not, you’ll be stone dead in a
moment.
The Dead Collector: Well, I can’t take him like that. It’s against
regulations…
Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.
Latest posts by Michael Cook (see all)
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
One thought on “Utterly tasteless: Monty Python on informed consent”
Comments are closed.
More Stories
BioEdge has closed its doors
After 23 years, BioEdge ceased published in May 2024. Not that there isn't lots to report on and talk about,...
How liberal are American bioethicists?
There is growing acknowledgement of the fact that the backgrounds, ideas, and politics of American academics are out of step...
Doctors can be socialized to cooperate in morally despicable evil, says bioethicist
Bioethicist Carl Elliott seems to relish stirring up fellow bioethicists and the medical profession. In his latest book, The Occasional Human...
3 sperm donors from same family in Quebec have sired 600 children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children by offering free sperm on the...
American IVF clinics are happily offering sex selection
The United States is one of the few countries where IVF sex selection is legal – and it is a...
Owner of castration website in UK found guilty of grievous bodily harm
“Enhancement” normally connotes adding powers beyond normal human functioning. However, there are dark kinds of enhancement which remove them. A...
Actually, I do think this episode is very funny. I am pro-life and completely against euthanasia but I also laugh! Perhaps it is my English sense of humour but I think we stop laughing at ridiculous things at our peril.