Technical progress in the maintenance of life has forced the physician into making complex ethical decisions. One technique that has been proposed to assist the physician in making such decisions is the use of an advisory panel containing some individuals without medical training. Such a panel would offer advice prior to instituting a course of action. Inherent in this system is the belief that diversity of background provides greater objectivity. In order to test this hypothesis and to examine the effects of medical education on development of ethical attitudes, 6 panels were presented the same 5 ethical problems. The panels were: 4th year medical students, senior pediatric residents, pediatric faculty, pediatric nurses, and 2 lay groups. Ethical problems dealt with: active euthanasia, the rights of adolescents, quality of life, rights of the retarded, and parental involvement in critical care decisions. Results revealed a high concurrence of final recommendations among all panels although factors involved in the decision-making process varied. Medical panels made prompter decisions. Lay groups were more concerned with economic issues and had a greater acceptance of euthanasia. These findings suggest that personal beliefs and not medical training are more important factors in reaching a decision. The use of lay individuals may offer no advantage or alter recommendations.