week 2 & 3 - ethical theories (part 1 & 2)

Question 1

why does ethics matter in medicine?

Answer 1

• it is morally important to behave morally
• professional regulatory bodies require their members to behave professionally & ethically
• the law reflects ethical values and requires doctors to know about professional & ethical guidance
• it is useful when resolving ethical challenges

Question 2

what is ethical reasoning?

Answer 2

• to think about ethical matters in a constructive way, to help resolve dilemmas
• to identify and assess ethical controversies, develop ethical arguments from many positions

Question 3

what is descriptive and what is normative ethics?

Answer 3

descriptive (or empirical):
- claims about the world
- how people behave, what people think is right
- DESCRIBES what people do

normative (prescriptive, or evaluative):
- claims about how the world should be
- how people SHOULD act

Question 4

patients often lie to their doctor about sexual health matters; this is an example of?

Answer 4

descriptive claim

Question 5

patients should not lie to their doctor about sexual health matters; this is an example of?

Answer 5

normative claim

Question 6

what is consequentialism?

Answer 6

an action is right if it promotes the BEST consequences

Question 7

what does a consequentialist believe?

Answer 7

that whatever choice “increases the good” is the morally right choice

Question 7

in bioethical terms, the consequential approach answers what question?

Answer 7

“are there more benefits than risks involved in this specific action?”

Question 8

what is the main focus in consequentialism? what is neglected?

Answer 8

• the end product is the main focus
• the ‘means’ used to achieve the end product is disregarded

Question 9

what are the limitations of consequentialism?

Answer 9

• future consequences are difficult to predict (ex: full recovery)
• measuring and comparing the ‘goodness’ of consequences is very difficult
• choosing different time periods may produce different consequences (ex: short vs long term results with cancer)
• it ignores things we regard as ethically relevant (ignoring the means to achieve something)

Question 10

what is utilitarianism?

Answer 10

• ## a branch of consequentialism

Question 17

a patient with cancer has the option of enduring what may prove to be extremely unpleasant radiotherapy; yet the end results may mean the absence of cancerous cells and many years of life; is it ethical to undergo radiotherapy, from the consequentialist and