BIOETHICS

Introduction

NEED

Scientific Advances
Human inequalities -- Abuses
Finitude of Resources
Pluralism
Changes in Doctor-Patient
Relationship
Pervasive unethical behavior

ETHICS Defined

a discipline which attempts to examine and

understand ways in which choices are
made involving issues of right and wrong Csongradi
From Greek word ethikos, moral duty
Study of human conduct or actions from a
moral perspective as to whether they are
good or bad;
Employs faculty of human reasoning
Ciabal, 2003

Objectives of Ethics
1. make clear to us why one act is better
than the other;
2. enable us to live and have an orderly
social way of life;
Appraise, criticize and evaluate
intelligently the moral conduct and ethical
system;
Explore and aspire to the true value of life
Paunil-Ciabal, 2003

Where is ethics associated?

Customs long established practices
common to a community
Habit repetition of the same action by an
individual that becomes a natural tendency
to perform it
Practice applies to a regularly followed
procedure or patterns in conducting
activities
Etiquette observance of social norms as
required by good breeding.

Professional Ethics defined

Branch of moral science concerned with
the obligations which a member of a
profession owes to the public, to his
profession, and to his clients.
Some of the ideals
engineers shall issue public statements
only in an objective and truthful manner.
American Society of mechanical Engineers

Ideals in Prof. Ethics Code

a scientist should not proclaim a

discovery to the public unless the
experimental, statistical, or theoretical
support for it is of strength sufficient to
warrant publication in the scientific
literature. American Chemical Society

Ideals in Prof. Ethics Code

Engineers shall associate only with
reputable persons or organizations.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Members shall use special knowledge and
skills for the advancement of human
welfare. American Society of Zoologists

Health ethics
the

moral conduct and

principles that govern members
of the medical profession.

Bioethics

Ban Reusselaer Potter a cancer

researcher, claims to have invented the
word and published the book entitled
Bioethics: Bridge to the future
Term to describe the application of ethics
to biological sciences, medicine and
related fields
Branch of ethics concerned with issues
surrounding health care and biological
sciences

Bioethics continued
Focuses on challenges arising from
modern biotechnology
Scope

Initially concerned with ethical problems

associated with medical practice
Has expanded to include social issues related
to health, animal welfare and environmental
concerns

Biotechnology advances applicable at

three different stages:
Beginning of life (contraception and
family planning)
Middle of life (genetic engineering and
abortion)
End of life (death and euthanasia)

Ethical theories can help define and

clarify the process whereby individuals
search for a rationale to support a
particular course of action.
In the final analysis, ethics or moral
psychology is a field which studies how
one person makes a difficult, personal
choice at a particular moment in life.

Significance of Bioethics

was developed and conceptualized in

countries that had to face the complex
ethical challenges that resulted from
bioscientific developments- the same
issues that are even more challenging for
Filipinos because of their implication and
conflict with the Christian traditions

it is vitally important for health professionals

to get acquainted with the ethical principles
involved in biomedical procedures
it is imperative that the moral issues
involved in present and future developments
be understood and a moral stand be taken on
the implications of these.
Bioethics seeks to keep members of the
health profession aware of dos and donts of
medical practice.

"...if we decide that we do not have time

to stop and think about right and wrong,
then we do not have time to figure out
right from wrong which means simply
put, we don't have time for lives of
integrity..." Stephen Carter (6)

Do what the Bible tells you--Divine Command Theories

Follow your conscience--The Ethics of Conscience

Watch out for #1--Ethical Egoism
Do the right thing--The Ethics of Duty
Don't dis' me--The Ethics of Respect
...all Men are created ...with certain unalienable Rights-The Ethics of Rights
Make the world a better place--Utilitarianism
Daddy, thats not fair--The Ethics of Justice
Be a good person--Virtue Ethics

"Do what the Bible tells you

Divine Command Theories

Being good is equivalent to doing

whatever the Bible--or the Quran
or some other sacred text or
source of revelation--tells you to
do.

What is right equals What God

tells me to do.

Follow your conscience

The Ethics of Our Inner Voice
Conscience tells us what is right or wrong
Often has a religious source
May be founded in a notion of human
nature
Is often negative in character, telling us
what is not right

"Watch out for #1

Ethical Egoism

the only person to look out

for is yourself

"Do the right thing"

The Ethics of Duty: deontology

ethics is about doing what is

right, about doing your duty.

Duty may be determined by:

Reason

Professional role

Kant: Do what any rational human

being should do
A physicians duty to care for the
sick

Social role

A parents duty to care for his or

her children

"Do the right thing"

The Ethics of Duty: deontology

a person's behavior can be

wrong even if it results in
the best possible outcome.

an act can be right even if

it results in a negative
outcome

"Don't dis' me"

The Ethics of Respect
Human interactions should be governed by
rules of respect
What counts as respect can vary from one
culture to another

Examples:
spitting in the sand
showing the soles of ones shoes--Richardson

What is it that merits respect?

...all Men are created ...with

certain unalienable Rights
The Ethics of Rights

The most influential

moral notion of the past
two centuries

Established minimal
conditions of human
decency

Make the world a better place

Utilitarianism

Seeks to reduce suffering and

increase pleasure or happiness

Demands a high degree of selfsacrificewe must consider the

consequencs for everyone.

Utilitarians claim the purpose of

morality is to make the world a
better place.

Daddy, thats not fair

The Ethics of Justice

Begins early in the family with

fairness to all family members

What is fair for one should be

fair for all.

Treating people equally may not

mean treating them the same.

"Be a good person

Virtue Ethics

Developed by Plato and Aristotle

Seeks to develop individual

character

Assumes good persons will make

good decisions

Conscience
Response

to moral dilemmas

Personal
Practical

judgment
Of individual acts

right. perform

wrong avoid
Involves knowledge and will

Steps in well formed conscience

obtain facts and objective
moral standards

form a morally certain

practical
judgment

act accordingly

accept responsibility for

action

It is essential that we be convinced of

the priority of the ethical over the
technical, the primacy of the person over
things, the superiority of the spirit over
matter. The cause of the human person
will only be served if knowledge is joined
to conscience. Men and women of
science will truly aid humanity only if
they preserve the sense of transcendence
of the human person over the world. And
of God over the human person

John Paul II

Maraming
Salamat
Po!