What is Bioethics? + History of Bioethics, Normative Ethics, and Principlism

Bioethics

a field that helps us to better understand, analyze, and respond to ethical quandaries faced in medicine and medical research.

Principlism

approach in normative biomedical ethics where 4 key principles are used to resolve and better understand particular cases.

Clinical ethics

applying ethics to understanding and resolution of healthcare dilemmas

Research ethics

study of ethical issues in carrying out scientific research

2 main ethical issues that gave rise to bioethics?

Nazi and Japanese medical experiments in WWII & Tuskegee syphilis experiment

Normative ethics

a branch of philosophy concerned with the formulation of criteria for what is morally right and wrong

3 different approaches of normative ethics?

deontology, teleology, utilitarianism

2 critiques of normative bioethics?

doesn’t take into account specific cultural contexts because different cultures/social groups have distinct beliefs about what is “moral”
Can be exclusionary/problematic

Respect for autonomy

Respecting that individuals have the right to make their own decisions around their health

consent

informing patients of all aspects of treatment to enable them to make the most informed decision

Non-maleficence

“Do no harm” to patients

Beneficence

Acting in best interests of a patient’s health & striving to “do good” on their behalf

Justice

Ensuring medical decisions are fair & distribution of scarce medical resources is fair across populations