Ethics (in Veterinary Medicine)

Ethics vs. Morals

Ethics

• A discipline dealing with what is good and bad, with moral duties and obligations, and with principles of conduct governing an individual or group.

• Rules provided by an external source – e.g.workplace, religion, etc.

Morals

• Principles of right and wrong in behavior, conduct, or judgments and sanctioned by, or operative on one’s personal beliefs.

• Individual’s own principles of right and wrong.

Etiquette

The forms and ceremonies established by convention as acceptable or required by society, in a profession or in official life.

Laws

Binding customs of a community or rules of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding, or enforced by a controlling authority.

Three areas of Ethics

• Professional: self-governing of members over specific issues; ex. AVMA

• Social: codes, laws and regulations

• Personal: individual principles of right and wrong (morals).

Veterinary Medical Ethics

• Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics are continually updated by the Judicial Council of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

• They are not backed by law, but they are accepted by State and Local associations

• NAVTA Ethics document

RVTs Obligations

Five obligations:

• To the client

• To peers and the profession

• To society in general

• To self

• To the animal

Examples of Ethical Issues

• Are surgeries such as ear cropping, declawing or debarking always appropriate?

• Is it okay for animals to be hospitalized overnight without nurse supervision?

• Should animals be temporarily put to sleep for radiographs to lessen human exposure?

Relationships

• The Veterinarian -- Patient Relationship

• The Veterinarian -- Veterinarian Relationship

• The Veterinarian -- Society Relationship

Vet-Client-Patient Relationship

• First consider the needs of the patient:

  • to relieve disease, suffering, or disability while minimizing pain or fear.

• In emergencies:

  • veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to provide services for animals when necessary to save life or relieve suffering.

The Veterinarian -- Veterinarian Relationship

• Strive to enhance their image with respect to their colleagues and other health professionals.

  • Be honest, fair, courteous, considerate, and compassionate.

  • Do not slander, or injure the professional standing or reputation of other veterinarians in a false or misleading manner.

The Veterinarian -- Society Relationship

• The responsibilities of the veterinary profession extend to society in general.

  • Veterinarians are encouraged to make their knowledge available to their communities and to provide their services for activities that protect public health.

Animal Rights

• The idea that animals should have the same moral rights as humans.

  • for example, the rights not to be used for food, clothing, entertainment, medical research, or product testing

• There is a continuum of rights for animals, ranging from few or no rights to lots of rights. Our own individual belief systems all fall somewhere along this continuum.

Few to No Rights

• Some, like the 17^th century philosopher Descartes, may believe that animals are little more than machines—that they have no feelings at all.

• Such a belief system suggests that animals have few—if any—rights.

Same Rights as Humans

• Some animal rights supporters are at the other extreme—believing that all animals should have the same moral rights as humans.

• This belief system suggests that animals should have the same rights as humans. 

Where we Stand

• Most zoo & aquarium professionals fall somewhere along the middle of the continuum, believing that animals have the right to humane care.AOur individual belief systems—based on our individual experience, education, culture, religion, etc.—give us our varying opinions on the rights  of animals.

Animal Welfare

• The Animal Welfare Committee defines it as a combination of an animal’s physical health and psychological well-being.

• Animal welfare people believe that animals can be used for human purposes, but that they should be treated so that discomfort is kept to a minimum. 

• Physical Health involves appropriate…

  • • nutrition

  • • exercise

  • • social groupings

  • • veterinary care

  • • environmental conditions

Animal Welfare

• Psychological Well-Being involves…

  • •  addressing animals’ motivational needs

  • •   providing animals with choice and control

  • •   matching the environment to animals’ natural   adaptations

  • •   encouraging animals to develop and use their   cognitive abilities

Animal Welfare 5 Principles to Enhance It

1. Animal welfare ranges on a continuum from very poor to very good. There are no clear dividing lines between “good” and “bad”.

2.  Animal welfare must be assessed at the individual animal level, not at the group or species level.

3. Good welfare will look different for different individual animals - it’s relative, not absolute. 

4. There is no single measure of welfare - we need to look at multiple variables to assess welfare.

5. Welfare is a quality of the animal - it is not something that we provide to animals (what we provide are appropriate conditions, the potential for animals to experience good welfare).

Animals in Research: Humans Responsibility

• Ethical treatment of animals means that those animals used in testing should be treated well.

• Monitored by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, ethical treatment of animals includes:

  • Providing a comfortable living environment

  • Minimizing discomfort from testing

  • Humanely euthanizing animals