BIOETHICS

ETHICAL DECISIONS  
Dr. Benito Arca
Week 8| October 26, 2020

 We should not (as faithful stewards):

i. harm but rather improve and
OUTLINE
care for them
I. INTRODUCTION  We have to treat them with utmost
II. WELL-FORMED CONSCIENCE respect
III. BASIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES i. use originality and creativity to
A. Stewardship cultivate them
B. Totality ii. know and respect their limits
C. Double effect B. Totality
D. Solidarity  Totality refers to the whole.
 Every person must develop, use, care
for and preserve all his parts and
I. INTRODUCTION functions for themselves as well as for
 Faced with a specific ethical dilemma the good of the whole.
one should use his conscience.  If a part or a lower function harms the
 Conscience is the practical judgment whole, this part/lower function may be
of reason upon an individual act as sacrificed for the good or better
good and to be performed, or evil and function of the whole.
to be avoided.  The basic capacities which define
human personhood, however, are
II. WELL-FORMED CONSCIENCE sacrificed only when there is a need to
preserve life.
Steps of a well-formed conscience C. Double effect
 When an act is foreseen to have both
 gather information good and bad effects, the principle of
i. facts double effect is applied.
ii. stakeholders
 In order that such act is permissible,
iii. moral approaches
the ff conditions should be met:
iv. options
i. The direct freely chosen effect
 Form a morally certain judgment of the act must be morally good
i. weigh and choose from among while the other indirect not freely
options chosen effect may be physically
ii. moral discernment harmful.
 Act accordingly ii. The action itself must be good
 Accept responsibility for action or at least neutral.
iii. The foreseen beneficial effect
III. BASIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES must be equal to or greater than
 ethics deals with moral behavior or on to foresee harmful effect.
how one should act. iv. The beneficial effect must follow
 Various universal principles have been from the action at least as
accepted and as a guide, those immediately as the harmful
related to healthcare include: effect.
i. stewardship D. Solidarity
ii. totality  Solidarity is to be one with others
iii. double effect  To have a unity of interest,
iv. cooperation responsibility or goal
v. solidarity  Solidarity is based on the common
A. Stewardship good, love of neighbor, preferentially
 Our bodies, our life, our human nature for the most proximate and most
and everything in this earth are gifts needy.
we have dominion over.  In health, solidarity is manifest in the
 This means we are responsible for healthcare provider’s acting kindly and
them. compassionately towards the patient.

Prepared by: Group 1 (Section H) – Trans team

BIOETHICS | Ethical Considerations (Dr. Benito Arca) | Week 8 | AY 2020-2021 (1 st Semester)

 It is cooperation among members of a

health team
 It is advocating for a just health
policy/package accessible to the
marginalized, avoiding profit making
from health services as well as
manipulating/exploiting the
disadvantaged.
 It is volunteering to be an organ donor
or a research subject.
 It is the bright student helping the slow
learners and senior consultant guiding
the new professionals.

REFERENCES

1. ARCA, B. (2020). Ethical

Considerations [PPT].

Prepared by: Group 1 (Section H) – Trans team