The MEC (medical ethics committee) is made up of BMA members from a wide range of specialties and experience, alongside lay members who are experts in their fields including theology, law and moral philosophy.
Our priorities
- The MEC debates ethical issues on the relationship between the medical profession, the public and the state.
- The committee liaises with the General Medical Council (GMC) on all ethical matters affecting medical practice.
- The MEC is supported by the ethics secretariat, who also produce detailed guidance and discussion papers on a wide range of medico-ethical issues and offer individual ethical advice to members.
Our people
The committee is comprised of the chief officers (ex-officio), seven members elected by the representative body, three members and two deputy members elected by council, and up to eight external members appointed by council in disciplines such as law, moral philosophy, natural sciences or the health professions.
Representatives from the General Medical Council and the Royal College of Nursing sit on the committee as observers.
Chair: Dr John Chisholm
Deputy chair: Dr Ian Wilson
President
Sir Harry Burns
Chief officers
Chair of the representative body: Dr Helena McKeown
Chair of council: Dr Chaand Nagpaul
Deputy chair of council: Dr David Wrigley
Treasurer: Dr Trevor Pickersgill
Elected by the representative body
Dr John Chisholm
Professor Baroness Ilora Finlay
Dr Surendra Kumar
Professor Raanan Gillon
Dr JS Bamrah
Dr Grace Allport
Dr Zoe Greaves
Elected by council
Dr Ian Wilson
Dr Preeti Shukla
Dr Jacqueline Davis
Appointed by council
Professor Bobbie Farsides
Professor Robin Gill
Professor Emily Jackson
David Lock QC
Dr Mary Neal
Professor Richard Huxtable
Professor Gurch Randhawa
Professor Dominic Wilkinson
Deputies
Dr Simon Tavabie
Dr Andrew Green
Observers
BMA patient liaison group: Christine Douglass
General Medical Council: Mark Swindells
Royal College of Nursing: Dr Janet Holt
Our meetings
The committee meets four times a year to discuss the latest issues affecting the medical profession. Our meetings are open to all elected medical ethics representatives, but non-members can apply to attend via the committee visitors scheme.
Meeting dates:
- 23 March 2021
- 19 May 2021
Elections
Elections to the Medical ethics committee are now closed.
The next elections will take place in 2021.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the work of the medical ethics committee, please email [email protected].