ETHICS
 comes from the Greek word Ethos
meaning characteristic way of acting
and in Latin word Mos, morrs meaning
way of acting.
 study of human acts or conduct from a
moral perspective as to whether they
are good or they are bad.
 commonly associated to customs,
morals and etiquette and even used
them interchangeably
o Customs –are acts approved by
a group or society
o Etiquette –are social
observance required by good
breeding (i.e. table manners,
dress code)
Objectives of Ethics
 To make clear to us why we act better
than another
 To live an orderly social life
 To appraise and criticize intelligently
the moral conduct and ethical system
 To seek the true value of life.
Concept of Ethics
 The study of the rightness of conduct.
 Deals with one’s responsibilities
(duties and obligations).
 Ethical persons put their beliefs into
action.
 Concept of Ethics
 The term morals is often mistakenly
used when ethics is intended.
 Morality is behavior that usually
reflects personal or religious beliefs.
 Ethics is rooted in the legal system.
Relationship Between Legal and Ethical
Concepts
 There is a connection between acts
that are legal and acts that are ethical.
 The legal system judges action rather
than intention.
 Ethical opinions reflect individual
differences.
 Laws change according to social and
political influences.
Types of Ethics
 General Ethics –deals with the basic
principles which are the morality of
human acts
 Social Ethics –tackles the basic
principles in the life of man as a
member of the society.
BIOETHICS
 Biology –study of living things
o Bios – life
o Ethics –way of acting
 A term used to describe the application
of ethics to biological sciences,
medicines and related fields.
 Ethics in health care; the application of
ethical principles to health care.
 The philosophical study of moral
conduct in life sciences and medicine
 A systematic study of moral conduct in
life sciences and medicine.
 A systematic study of human behavior,
specifically, in the fields of life sciences
and health care, as examined in the
light or moral values and principles.
(MT Reich)
 Ethics to a special focus on challenges
arising from modern biotechnology
o Biotechnology is any
technology using micro-
organism or biological materials
for technological purposes (i.e.
modifying things for better
quality life, cloning)
 Health ethics (bioethics) -affects
every area of health care.
o Ethics helps provide structure
by raising questions that
ultimately lead to answers.
 Professional ethics –branch of moral
science that treats of the obligations
which a member of a profession owes
to the public, to his profession and to
his clients.
Ethics in Health Care
 Bioethics is the application of ethical
principles to health care.
  Ethics affects every area of health
care.
 Ethics helps provide structure by
raising questions that ultimately lead to
answers.
Importance of Bioethics
 To provide awareness to the health
team or workers of the “do’s and
don’ts” of medical practice.
 To enrich one’s competence by
understanding that the patient is a
person and a holistic individual.
Scope of Bioethics
 In the initial stages, bioethics was
concerned with ethical problems
associated to medical practices but
later, the subject matters was
broadened to include all biosciences
(doctors-patient relationship, social
issues related to health, animal
welfare, environmental concerns, etc).
 The problem of bioethics has
something to do to the challenges
posted by the biotechnological
advances and its power over life and
death.
 In our study we will deal to the
questions about human life in 3 points.
o The beginning of life
(Contraception and Family
Planning)
o In the midst of life (Genetic
Engineering and Abortion)
o At the end of life (Death
penalty and Euthanasia))
Scope of Bioethics
 The fields of bioethics addresses a
broad swath of human inquiry, ranging
from debates over boundaries of life
(e.g. abortion, euthanasia) to the
allocaton of scarce health care
resources (e.g. organ donation) to the
right to turn down medical care for
religious or cultural reasons (e.g. blood
transfusion).
Ethical Theories
 Deontology
o The intrinsic significance of the
act itself is the criterion for
determination of good.
o Concept of categorical
imperative states that actions
should be based on a principle
that is universal.
o The person should never be
treated as a means to an end.
 Teleology
o The value of a situation is
determined by its
consequences.
o Principle of utility states that an
act must result in the greatest
good for the greatest number.
o “Good” refers to positive benefit.
Factors Contributing to the Need for
Ethics in Health Care
 Technological advances
 Changing fabric of our society
 Increased consumer demand for
health care information
 Decreasing allocation of federal funds
for health care
Examples of Ethical Issues
 Newborns surviving at earlier
gestational ages with serious health
problems
 People living longer than ever before
 Organ transplants and the use of
bionic body parts
 Experimental research
Prevalence of Bioethical Issues
 Abortion
 Euthanasia
 Suicide
 Determination of Death
o Biological death
o Clinical death
 In-Vitro Fertilization
 Stem Cell technology