This 2008 - 2009 edition contains 200 ethical opinions of the AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, along with the AMA's nine Principles of Medical Ethics and several opinions on topics including physician health and wellness, physician obligation in disaster preparedness and response, direct-to-consumer diagnostic imaging tests, and resident physicians' involvement in patient care. New guidance is given on previous topics such as transplantation of organs from living donors, racial and ethnic health care disparities, and medical testimony.

These opinions, and the principles upon which they are founded, have been cited in many of the important medico-legal decisions of our time including Cruzan and Roe v. Wade. References to case law and journal articles are annotated for research convenience throughout this edition. The Code of Medical Ethics has set the standard for practicing medicine ethically for more than 160 years and is the essential companion for physicians and other medical professionals, attorneys, health care administrators, and patients who contend with the challenging issues and choices inherent in modern medicine.