Health Ethics

DR. EUFEMIA M. TOBIAS

Faculty, Health Ethics, Olivarez College

Course Description:

The course deals with the study of the important concepts and principles of ethics;

Reflections on moral experiences, sensitization to ethical considerations, and ethical issues in patient care, community work and public issues;

 Discusses the basic scope, importance, and application of ethics in the practice of allied health professions.

OBJECTIVES:
In general, The course aims to instill knowledge of the important concepts and principles of ethics and to develop amongst the students, attitudes which are ethically sound, useful and applicable in the practice of allied health professions;

 At the end of the course, the students are expected to: 1.Examine/affirm their personal beliefs, professional and moral values;

2. Apply ethical principles to day-to-day experiences;

 3. Act responsibly when faced with ethical issues; 4. Cope with moral ambiguity;

 5. Utilize the process of ethical decision;

6. Know and apply the code of ethics; 7. Understand the rights of patients;

 8. Understand the provisions of the laws on allied health professions; 9. Recognize the legal competencies, liabilities and responsibilities of the different allied health professions.

Philosophical Foundations:
A. The Nature of Ethics: ethics comes from the Greek word ethos,meaning character or custom; - today it refers to the distinguishing disposition, character or attitude of a specific culture or group

etymology of ethics suggests its basic concerns: 1. Individual character, including what it means to be a good person;

2. The social rules that govern and limit our behavior, especially morality.

Morality refers to human conduct and values and ethics refers to study of those areas;

 However, in everyday parlance we most often interchange the two ethical and moral to describe people we consider good and actions we consider right; and the opposite thereof bad people and wrong action means unethical and immoral.

 Amoral having no moral sense or being indifferent to right or wrong

-some exceptions those who underwent prefrontal lobotomies; and babies;

Nonmoral out of the realm of morality altogether, e.g. inanimate objects such as cars and guns are neither moral nor immoral;

 The study of ethics concerns questions of moral right and

wrong,duty and obligation,

and moral responsibility; For

ex. Is an act of abortion or

assisted suicide ever morally

right?

As health care
providers, are we always morally

obliged to tell the

truth or may we lie sometimes?

 Under what conditions

are we morally
responsible for our actions?

 B. Definitions and Purpose of Ethics: Ethics study of moral behavior or conduct of man as viewed from ultimate principles insofar as these principles are known by human reason; -

philosophical science dealing with the morality of the human acts

 Other definitions:
Science of human acts with reference to right and wrong; Study of rectitude of human conduct;

 Scientific inquiry into the science of morality;

Practical science of the morality of human actions.

 Points the way to right living;

Compels man to follow directions to his ultimate destiny.

 Material object consists of human acts; Human acts acts performed by man as man; acts in which his superior faculties of both intellect and will are used , as opposed to those acts which man performs in common with animal or vegetative life;

The Material and Formal Object of Ethics

 Formal object in ethics, it is the moral rectitude of mans human acts in relation to mans natural end.

 Ethical conclusions:

1. Human reason (primary source) 2. Experience (contemporary and historical) 2.1. Personal experience 2.2. Experience of others

In order to reach its conclusions, Ethics draws upon the following sources:

Morality and Etiquette: Etiquette- refers to any special code of behavior or courtesy; eg.opening doors for ladies; pleases and thank yous; returning phone calls (in business etiquette); dress code.

Good, bad, right, or wrong simply means socially appropriate or socially inappropriate; - The so-called rules of etiquette that we learned at home and school are prescriptions for socially acceptable behavior; - If we want to fit or belong we should observe common rules of etiquette.

 If you violate the rules, then you are rightly considered illmannered or uncivilized, but not necessarily immoral;

Rules of etiquette are generally nonmoral assertions:

 Pushing the chair back into place after dinner/ upon leaving the table; Male boss addressing female employees epithets e.g. sweetie pie, honey, darling,etc; shows bad manners and perpetuate sexism; denial of dignity to human beings.

Morality and the Law:

Let us clarify law; there are four(4) kinds of law: Statutes Regulations Common law Constitutional law

 statutes laws enacted by legislative bodies; enacted by Congress;

Ordinances

enacted by local governing bodies like city or municipal councils

 Common law refers to laws applied in the English-speaking world before there were any statutes; Like administrative regulations, these are valid if it harmonizes with statutory law and with constitutional law; Constitutional law refers to court rulings on any law; Is the law whatever its source, always a reliable standard for determining moral behavior? It is if and only if: 1. What is legal is always moral, and 2. What is not prohibited by law is always moral; mostly untrue;

 Division of Ethics:
2 Major parts:

1. General ethics presents truths about human acts and from these truths deduces the general principle of morality; 2. Special ethics applied ethics;applies the principles of general ethics in different departments of human activity, individual and social;

Special ethics Divided further into:

2.1. Individual ethics 2.1.1 as regards God 2.1.2 as regards self 2.1.3 as regards others/ fellowmen

2.2. Social ethics 2.2.1 in the family 2.2.2 in the state 2.2.3 in the world (international ethics;

Basis of Christian Ethics:

The science of ethics is based upon the acceptance of the following:

Human reason is capable of discovering some truths; God exists;

 God is just; Man has a soul; Mans soul is immortal;

 A good life merits Gods reward; An evil life shall merit Gods punishment;

 Mans soul has the faculties of intellect and will; The object of the intellect is truth; The object of the will is goodness; Mans will is free and is therefore, capable of moral good or moral evil; Good must be done; evil must be avoided; An act is good when it is in conformity with right reason; An act is evil when not in conformity with right reason.

Approaches to the study of morality:

2 Major Approaches: 1.The Scientific or descriptive

approach; 2. The Philosophical Approach2.1. normative or prescriptive ethics; 2.2. Metaethics or sometimes analytic ethics; concentrates on reasoning,logical structures and language rather than content;

The Norm Of Morality:

1. Norms are purely internal - be true to yourself - do what you feel is right - conscience 2. Norm based on current opinion and customs - everybody is doing it

Norm of expediency Other people regulate their actions in accordance with what is useful for them at the moment rather than what is objectively right or wrong; 4. Norm of preference - there are still others who act in accordance with what is desirable,with what one prefers doing rather than what is right or wrong;
3.

 5. Situation ethics

- what must I do to act rightly and well?

6. Evaluation - it is not a matter of current opinion of the majority; - not a matter of what is useful at the moment; of a spirit of altruism; Of expediency; of feeling;

Rape, murder, adultery are wrong not because of statistics or popularity or public apathy/ expediency/ opinion polls; BUT because they run counter to right reason and Gods will; Question of principle vs. expediency;

Morality is intrinsic, objective and unchanging; What is right is in conformity with the divine will;
It is expressed in our life through a properly formed conscience.

Maraming salamat po!!