The ethical principles of justice, benevolence, non-malfeasance, and autonomy.
Week 1 Discussion 1
A patient is in a coma that appears irreversible. His mother, who is his surrogate, firmly believes that he will recover and that God is taking a hand to work a miracle if everyone will just wait long enough. She wants everything done for the patient, including resuscitation if he arrests. She insists that he stay in the hospital, and is very upset that he was transferred out of the ICU and his care was moved to comfort measures, rather than aggressive treatment. The mother does not speak English and is strong in her religious beliefs. The physicians for the patient are very upset and concerned about continuing to provide care that they believe is futile. The patient is developing a serious pneumonia, and the mother wants it treated aggressively. The physicians are reluctant. Analyze this case from the ethical principles of justice, benevolence, non-malfeasance, and autonomy.
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The ethical principles of justice, benevolence, non-malfeasance, and autonomy.
Introduction
The four ethical principles of justice, benevolence, non-malfeasance, and autonomy form the basis of ethical care. They can be used to guide a person’s decision-making when they are faced with conflicting obligations or circumstances where one course of action is better than another. They also provide a standard for judging whether an action is good or bad from an ethical perspective (which has been defined as follows:
Justice
Justice is the idea that everyone should be treated fairly, and it’s also about equality. Justice means giving people what they deserve and need, which can include money as well as other things like food or shelter, but it doesn’t necessarily mean giving them everything they ask for. In fact, justice often comes in the form of limitations on how much something is worth—for example: “I’m sorry I stole your wallet.”
Justice is about treating people equally (or not). This can be tricky because sometimes we’re all just trying our best at doing what we think will help us get ahead in life (this might include working hard), so there can be some gray areas between what is considered fair treatment versus maliciously taking advantage of someone else’s situation without their consent or knowledge; however these situations are usually easy enough to figure out with careful observation and communication between parties involved – especially if there are witnesses present at any given moment!
Benevolence
Benevolence is the second ethical principle in the ethical triad, and it requires us to act for the good of others. It is important because it helps us understand how we should treat others, which will in turn make our lives better as well as help them be better. The first step towards acting benevolently occurs when we recognize that there are other people around us who need our help; this recognition allows us to see that they are suffering or have experienced some injustice. Once this recognition has taken place, one can then decide whether or not they want to lend their assistance or help out in some way through volunteering at an organization like Doctors Without Borders (DWB).
Dealing honestly with others involves being willing and able to admit mistakes made while living life on earth so that everyone else knows what happened instead of pretending everything was fine even though something bad happened! For example: “I made my friend cry because I forgot about her birthday party” might sound like an innocent mistake but could actually reveal deeper issues within yourself; maybe you were jealous about someone else getting attention from friends more than yourself because she’s prettier than me? Maybe she tried asking for advice but got no response whatsoever instead just having fun with all those other people even though I’m sitting here alone watching Netflix all day long?!
Non-malfeasance
The principle of non-malfeasance states that you should do no harm. This means that you should avoid causing others pain or suffering, avoiding causing them harm and injury to their property, avoiding causing them harm to their reputation and privacy.
The idea behind this principle is simple: if someone was harmed by your actions in any way (whether it be physical or mental), then you should not have done it. It doesn’t matter if they deserve it—if they don’t agree with what happened or have the right to be unhappy with your actions, then why would anyone else feel differently?
Autonomy
It’s important for patients to be able to make decisions about their health.
There are many ways that healthcare providers can support patient autonomy, such as:
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Providing information about the process of decision making and the options available
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Providing opportunities for discussion or debate about the issue at hand (for example, if a patient wants more information before making a decision)
These four ethical principles form the basis of ethical care.
These four ethical principles form the basis of ethical care. They are not rules, but rather guidelines that help us to live our lives in a way that is consistent with these virtues. The first principle is that the good of another person must be considered before one’s own interests; the second is that we must do no harm; and so on. These principles apply not only to doctors but also apply to everyone who takes care of others—whether it’s through work or family life.
The fourth virtue deals with autonomy: respecting another person’s freedom from external forces or influences (e.g., parents). A doctor should never try to force someone into doing something they don’t want by threatening them with punishment if they refuse treatment or medication etcetera.”
Conclusion
The ethical principles of justice, benevolence, non-malfeasance, and autonomy form the basis of ethical care. They are both descriptive and prescriptive; they describe the nature of ethics in general terms, but also prescriptively require us to abide by them when we practice care for others.
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