Health Care Ethics Exam 2

principles

general or broad framework for biomedical ethics or specific rules that include 1. respect for autonomy, 2. nonmaleficence (do no harm), 3. beneficence (prevent harm), 4. justice

rules

these norms are more specific in content and restricted in space. Includes substantive, authoritative, and procedural

prima facie obligations

there can be compromises, obligations need to be followed unless circumstances (moral reasoning) can overrule them

specification

narrows the scope by providing action guiding content, like setting policies for example; adds content, range, and scope of norms

weighing and balancing

deliberation and judgement when moral norms are in conflict

moral virtue

a dispositional trait of character that is morally valuable and reliably present in a person

moral ideals

not obligatory, are aspirational and praise and admire those who follow them, but not criticize those who don’t

supererogation

involves performing beyond what is owed and has 4 conditions: 1. the act is optional, 2. it exceeds what is demanded by moral obligations in common morality, 3. it is undertaken intentionally to promote welfare of others, and 4. it’s morally good and praiseworthy in itself

moral status

to whom obligations belong to, such a which beings have rights and which do not. to have rights in which moral agents have moral obligations to a being that has welfare interests.

sentience

a being has the capacity for consciousness understood as experience in the form of feelings. (+) that it has a broad scope. (-) when does one achieve this? some humans not included, impractical, needs to be layered

moral agency

the capacity of an individual to make moral judgements about right and wrong, and the being has motives that can be judged morally, and one can be this while having immoral motives. (+) the capacity gives one moral respect. (-) if human lacks this then stripped of moral status, normally vulnerable beings should be protected even without

racism

a complex array of social structures, interpersonal interactions, and beliefs by which the group in power categorizes people into socially constructed “races” and creates a racial hierarchy in which racial and ethnic minority groups are disempowered, devalued, and denied equal access to resources

autonomy

the moral right and capacity of an individual to exercise self-governance or self-determination over their own life, body, and medical care. The two general conditions that are essential are liberty and agency.

respect for autonomy

involves respectful actions, not simply your attitude toward patients and has two types: negative - actions should not be controlled by others, and positive - respectful disclosures of information and other actions that foster autonomous decision-making

informed consent

different from mutual decision-making, approval and authorization of a medical intervention

Five focal virtues

Compassion, discernment, trustworthiness, integrity, and conscientiousness

structural racism

operates through laws and policies that allocate resources in ways that disempower and devalue members of racial and ethnic minority groups. resulting in inequitable access to high-quality care

Four theories of moral status

Human properties, cognitive properties, moral agency, and sentience

Three-condition theory

intentionality, understanding, and noncontrol (or voluntariness)

liberty

freedom or independence from controlling influence

agency

capacity for intentional action

intentionality

requires plans in the form of a representation of a series of events for the execution of an action (that you had the plan, not that it worked)

understanding

the actor has a substantial ___, a grasp of central facts

Noncontrol

free from external (coercion, using threats) and internal (mental illness) controlling influences, aka voluntariness