Within most cultures, care of the sick is seen as entailing special duties, codified as a set of moral standards governing professional practice. Although these duties have been stated and interpreted in differing ways, a common factor is the awareness of an imbalance of power between doctor and patient and an acknowledgement of the vulnerability of the sick person. A function of medical ethics is to counteract this by encouraging doctors to act in the best interests of their patients, refrain from taking advantage of them, and use their skills in a manner which preserves the honour of their profession.

Medical ethics are embedded in cultural values which evolve. Acceptance of legal abortion is an example of how society influences changes in perceptions about ethical obligations. Some countries which permit capital punishment or female genital mutilation (FGM – see CIRCUMCISION) expect doctors to carry out such procedures. Some doctors would argue that their ethical obligation to minimise pain and suffering obliges them to comply, whereas others would deem their ethical obligations to be the complete opposite. The medical community attempts to address such variations by establishing globally applicable ethical principles through debate within bodies such as the World Medical Association (WMA) or World Psychiatric Association (WPA).