International Conference on Medical Ethics

Are you a scholar, researcher, or practitioner interested in exploring the philosophical, legal and practical issues surrounding medical ethics? If that is you, the University of Beira Interior is asking for your submission for the International Conference on Medical Ethics, to be held from 26 to 27 of September 2025, at our campus in Covilhã, Portugal. The conference will bring together experts from various fields to discuss the ethical challenges within modern medicine.

Conference Theme: Navigating Ethical Challenges in Modern Medicine

Philosophy has played a key role in shaping medical ethics. Aristotle’s emphasis on the importance of character, Hippocrates’ focus on helping others, have provided a foundation for answering questions of ethics. Others, like Kant and Mill, have added to the discussion. More recently Beauchamp and Childress’ principalist approach and the critical perspectives of Hans Jonas, Paul Ricoeur, and Jürgen Habermas are informing how healthcare professionals think about their moral obligations. This conference will engage with these classical and contemporary ethical frameworks to explore these obligations as well as the rights of patients in this era of technological and societal change.

Call for Papers: Themes and Intellectual Directions

Submissions from scholars in medical ethics, philosophy, law, and healthcare that address one or more of the following key themes are welcomed:

1. Ethical Implications of Emerging Medical Technologies
   What is the best way to make sure recent innovations (like AI, robotic surgery, gene editing, or telemedicine) are used in a fair and responsible way? How do classical ethical theories inform our attempts to balance progress with moral responsibility?
2. Patient Autonomy and Informed Consent in Cross-Cultural Contexts
   Patient autonomy will look different across cultures and differing legal systems. Where should the limits be? Some traditions lean towards doctors making decisions for patients, while others prioritize personal choice. What role does paternalism and relational autonomy play in these discussions?
3. Justice and the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources
   When there aren’t enough resources to go around—like during a pandemic or with an organ transplant—how do hospitals decide who gets care first? What is the fairest way to make these tough choices? How does the work of Rawls, theories of utilitarianism, or Aristotle assist us today in making these tough decisions?
4. End-of-Life Ethics: Euthanasia, Palliative Care, and the Right to Die
   Should doctors be allowed to help terminally ill patients end their lives? Balancing concerns about upholding the dignity of personal choice as well as not violating the value of life should be considered. How do ideas about dignity, and ancient views on a “good death”, shape this debate?
5. The Role of Medical Ethics in Public Health Policy and Global Health Challenges
   How are individual rights balanced with the well-being of society when it comes to creating policy on pandemics, vaccines, reproductive rights, or climate-related health issues? Should these decisions be based on the common good (as in communitarian ethics) or through open public debate (a la Habermasian democracy)?
6. Ethics of Therapeutic Innovation and Clinical Trials
   What moral challenges come into play when people try to create and get therapies that are novel, particularly with life-threatening diseases? How are beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice preserved in clinical trial design, as far as employing a placebo and obtaining informed consent is concerned? What responsibility do pharmaceutical companies have in providing equitable access to expensive therapies around the world?

Submission Guidelines

• Abstract Length: Abstracts should not exceed 500 words.
• Format: Submissions should be in English and prepared in an academic format (PDF or Word document).
• Submission Process: Abstracts should be sent via email to [email protected] with the subject line: "Submission – [Author’s Name]".
• Review Process: All submissions will undergo a peer-review process. Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit full papers for presentation.

Important Dates

• Abstract Submission Deadline: 30-06-2025
• Notification of Acceptance: 31-07-2025
• Conference Dates: 26-09-2025/27-09-2025

Participation in the conference is free of charge, and no registration fees will be required. For any inquiries, please contact the organising committee at [email protected].

We look forward to your contributions and to an engaging exchange on the ethical dimensions of modern medicine at the University of Beira Interior.