What is a profession? The ethical implications of the FTC order and some Supreme Court decisions.

The professions have sought to formulate and maintain their own codes of conduct and ethics, in order to safeguard relationships of trust between client and professional and uphold a commitment to care and service. Recent court decisions reviewed here have asserted the supremacy of competition in professional as well as commercial relationships, where it is up to the buyer to "beware." The implications of these decisions have posed a moral challenge. By adhering to high standards, physicians will merit the trust of the public, so that the traditional distinction between the ethics of service and the ethics of the marketplace may be preserved.