Bioethics and medical ethics

A expressão ética médica pode ser definida como aquilo que os médicos tomaram por hábito denominar “o cumprimento ao determinado pelo código de ética: deveres e direitos dos médicos”. A bioética afirma-se como uma área do conhecimento humano que relaciona os valores éticos com fatos biológicos sobretudo aqueles fatos que envolvem a vida e a saúde do seres humanos dentro de um meio ambiente adequado.The expression medical ethics may be defined as what physicians usually say “to follow what is determined by the ethics code”: duties and rights of physicians”. Bioethics is an area of human knowledge which relates ethic values with biological facts mainly those facts which involve life and health of human beings within a proper environment

“Ethical Minefields” and the Voice of Common Sense: A Discussion with Julian Savulescu

Theoretical ethics includes both metaethics (the meaning of moral terms) and normative ethics (ethical theories and principles). Practical ethics involves making decisions about every day real ethical problems, like decisions about euthanasia, what we should eat, climate change, treatment of animals, and how we should live. It utilizes ethical theories, like utilitarianism and Kantianism, and principles, but more broadly a process of reflective equilibrium and consistency to decide how to act and be

Deontology and its role in practice medicine in Albania

Deontology consists of rights that society bestows to some professions, including the medical profession, to self-regulate and insure the independence of physicians to exercise their profession despite possible external pressures. In this paper the author summarizes the concepts of medical deontology, its role in respecting and protecting the interest of patients and the interest of society as well as the concept that the medical profession can best protect people’s health. Afterward, some historical information on medical deontology is given. Bioethics and medical ethics are an extension of medical deontology in response to new developments in medicine. In the last part of the paper the author analyses the situation of Medical Deontology in Albania and its role in improving the medical practices of the current situation in Albania

FrankenSTEM? Technology Ethics in Silicon Valley (flyer with text, version 1)

“Deep Humanities,” One-Day Symposium, Organized by Dr. Revathi Krishnaswamy & Dr. Katherine D. Harris, Department of English and Comparative Literature, San Jose State University. May 1, 2018, 10-4pm, Room 225, King Library, San Jose State Universityhttps://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/frankenstein200_flyers/1000/thumbnail.jp

Animals & Ethics 101: Thinking Critically About Animal Rights

This book provides an overview of the current debates about the nature and extent of our moral obligations to animals. Which, if any, uses of animals are morally wrong, which are morally permissible (i.e., not wrong) and why? What, if any, moral obligations do we, individually and as a society (and a global community), have towards animals and why? How should animals be treated? Why we will explore the most influential and most developed answers to these questions given by philosophers, scientists, and animal advocates and their critics to try to determine which positions are supported by the best moral reasons. KEYWORDS: Animals, Ethics, Animal Testing, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Bioethics and Medical Ethics, Ethics and Political Philosophy, Philosophy, Philosophy of Scienc

Book Review

Review of: MARC A. RODWIN, MEDICINE, MONEY & MORALS: PHYSICIANS\u27 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. (Oxford University Press 1993). [430 pp.] Acknowledgements, acronyms, appendices, foreword, index, notes. LC: 92-49488; ISBN: 0-19-508096-3. [Cloth $25.00. 200 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016.

Book Review

Review of: JOHN HARRIS, WONDERWOMAN AND SUPERMAN: THE ETHICS OF HUMAN BIOTECHNOLOGY. (Oxford University Press 1992) [271 pp.] Acknowledgements, further reading, index, introduction, notes. LC 91-23939; ISBN 0-19-2177540-0. [$22.95 cloth. 200 Madison Avenue; New York NY 10016.

Physician Assisted Dying: A Turning Point?

Physician Assisted Dying (PAD) has been lawful in some countries since the 1940s and in the United States since 1997. There is a body of social and scientific research that has focused on whether the practice has been misused and whether gaps exist in legislative safeguards. There are multiple concerns with physicians assisting patients to die: incompatibility with the physician’s role as a healer, devaluation of human life, coercion of vulnerable individuals (e.g., the poor and disabled), and the risk that PAD will be used beyond a narrow group of terminally ill individuals. Statutes in the United States have been drafted with these concerns in mind in an effort to mitigate the possible risks of PAD while still providing individuals with access. There seems to be a shift in attitudes towards PAD. Currently four states statutorily permit PAD and it is being discussed by multiple legislatures across the country. There also seems to be a shift in medical practice as demonstrated by a 2015 survey that showed for the first time that more than half of physicians surveyed favored medical assistance in dying. PAD is a deeply personal choice. The question is whether more states will authorize the practice and, if so, what safeguards will be put in place to ensure the practice is not misused and remains consistent with prevailing social and ethical thought

Ethical Challenges of Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV

On July 16, 2012, emtricitabine/tenofovir (Truvada) became the first drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for adults at high risk. While PrEP appears highly effective with consistent adherence, effective implementation poses ethical challenges for the medical and public health community. For PrEP users, it is necessary to maintain adherence, safe sex practices, and routine HIV testing and medical monitoring, to maximize benefits and reduce risks. On a population level, comparative cost-effectiveness should guide priority-setting, while safety measures must address drug resistance concerns without burdening patients\u27 access. Equitable distribution will require addressing the needs of underserved populations, women (for whom efficacy data are mixed) and people living in developing countries with high HIV incidence; meanwhile, it is necessary to consider the fair use of drugs for treatment vs. prevention and the appropriate design of new HIV prevention studies

Deep Ecology and End-of-Life Care

Physicians and nurses caring for terminally ill patients are expected to center their moral concerns almost exclusively on the needs and welfare of the dying patient and the patients family. But what about the relationship of traditional medical ethics to the emerging new theories of environmental ethics, like deep ecology? As we glide into the twenty-first century, can anyone seriously doubt that the mounting global concerns of environmental ethics will eventually influence the ethics of medicine too? For example, suppose physicians were to integrate the core values of an ecocentric environmental ethic like deep ecology into contemporary North American norms of healthcare for the dying. How would this shift affect the attitudes and treatment decisions of caregivers toward the terminally ill? Specifically, would the medical community’s adoption of the deep ecology ethic help or hurt the interests of the dying and their families? [excerpt