Week 4 (T) Flashcards
2 distinct categories of ethics
- deontology
- consequentialism
deontology
an approach that assume that universal moral rules should guide all of our actions
- actions are seen as either right or wring in all situations
- ends do not justify the means
***includes kant’s theory
Kant’s theory
believes before acting, we should consider what would happen if everyone did the action and whether the overall effect would be possible
consequentialism
states that the ends can justify the means, as long as good is maximized and harm is minimized
- doesn’t recognize universal moral laws
- under this, various ethical principles are considered and balanced
Nuremberg Trial
- after WW2, leading Nazis were put on trial and convicted
- in 1947 judges in those trials wrote a set of principles for conducting ethical medical research with human subjects to apply in their judgements (Nuremberg Code)
what helped develop the declaration of helsinki
ideas from the Nuremberg Code
declaration of helsinki
- named after Finnish city where the WMA help a meeting and adopted the declaration as a policy
- not a legal document, BUT has influenced legislation and policy in many countries, including Canada
informed consent
central concept in research ethics
- clinical research cannot be undertaken without this
2 components of informed consent
- a potential human research participant must be told about the study
- the participant needs to agree to participate without any undue influence on the part of the researcher or anyone else
what must the research participant be told about the study?
- who is conducting the research
- what the research is investigating
- what the participant would be required to do if they participate
- any potential risks or benefits to participating
2 examples of unethical research
- The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in the US
- An Indigenous Child Nutrition Study in Canada
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in the US
studied the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African-American men in Alabama
- participants told they were receiving free health care from US government
- researcher withheld effective health care like antibiotics from participants so they could track the course of untreated disease
An Indigenous Child Nutrition Study in Canada
studied nutrition among Indigenous children in residential schools in the 1940s
Canadas Food Guide - Indigenous Children Nutrition
- tests were done without informed consent or knowledge of the Indigenous people involved
- children were knowingly malnourished and federal bureaucrats and scientists saw this as a opportunity to test their scientific theories
- received no changes in their diets in order to act as controls in the experiments
fortified flour test and residential schools
- there was a federal ban on fortified flour at the time
- the fortified flour they used on children caused increased incidences of anemia among the students who were fed the flour
cause of health problems that impact indigenous people
canadian colonialism and canadian colonial policy
- NOT GENETICS
5 ethical principles
- autonomy
- beneficence
- non-maleficence
- justice
- honestly
autonomy
respect for the rights of individuals and their right to determine their lives
- suggests everyone should be able to make their own decision
- informed consent
beneficence
commitment to do actions that are of benefit to other people or “doing good”
- want a benefit
non-maleficence
obligation not to harm other people
- benefits must outweigh the harm
justice
obligation to act fairly when dealing with competing claims for resources or rights
honestly
commitment to always tell the truth
- can include lying by omission (with-holding the truth)
indigenous people and trust
Indigenous people are distrustful of government and medical officials
- when COVID-19 vaccination was introduced, we thought Indigenous wouldn’t get it due to mistrust (they thought it was another experiment)
ethical dilemma
occurs when it isn’t clear which of competing actions is the right or moral action because the ethical principles are in conflict with each other