Biomedical Ethical Principles

773 Words2 Pages

In the reading, it notes that prior to the early 1970s, “there was no firm ground in which a commitment to principles or even ethical theory could take root in biomedical ethics” (Beauchamp, pg.3). Physicians went about treating patients based on what they believed to be the right thing to do and more often “moral principles, practices and virtues were rarely discussed” as well as the healthcare ethics in Europe and America specifically were focused on medical benefits and reducing the risk for harm and diseases (Beauchamp, pg.3). In 1970s-early 1980s, a group of people came together, such as Tom Beauchamp & James Childress to create the framework of today’s biomedical ethics. Their purpose was to create key principles that could be used …show more content…

Respect for autonomy was created to acknowledge and respect the patient by giving them a voice and involving them in the decision making process, by ultimately leave the final decision up to them (depending on the situation/circumstances and within the rules/laws). By involving the patient in the decision making process, it allows them the freedom to act according to their own personal and moral beliefs/views/and traditions, without being influenced by other opposing ideas. The problem with respect for autonomy is determining whether or not a patient is physically and mentally capable of making these decisions or if someone else should, and if that is the case who that person should …show more content…

This is important so that everyone is treated equally, there is no favoritism, equal chances to healthcare, and everyone is charged the same.
Paul S. Appelbaum presents a problem in the article that I would like to further elaborate on in class. He asks the question “If, on the other hand, physicians in court abandon medicine’s traditional ethical principles, how do they justify that deviation? And if the obligations to do good and avoid harm no longer govern physicians in the legal setting, what alternative principles come into play? . . . Are physicians in general bound by the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence?” (Beauchamp,

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