Bioethical Principles in Medical Science Essay

The principlist approach to biomedical ethics is understood on the ass of two substitution theses. The first thesis is that honourable principles argon non-absolute and that they do not occur in a determinate order of precedence. This heart that every single principle is prima facie. These prima facie principles are charity, respect for liberty, non-maleficence and justice. The second central thesis, usually called the global applicability thesis, posits that the four prima facie principles derived from common morals make principlism universally applicable.Analysis of respectable questions based on the biomedical principles of ethics is central to moral reasoning while at the same time respects exigencies of circumstance and liberates pluralism (Beauchamp & Childress 14 Herissone-Kelly 65). Since this application of honourable principles is sensitive to moral beliefs encountered in everyday lives, it forms the basis of ethics in biomedical practice. It acts as a guide to ac tion even though the four principles do not operate in a determinate order of precedence.In attempting to discern the ethics of physician back up self-annihilation one central question comes into mind. Is help suicide morally justified? In a nutshell, assisted suicide or more specifically, physician assisted suicide, refers to a case where the patient has ended his life either with a lethal dose or any other medically provided instrument after the patient call for for the lethal dosage from the physician who provided the dosage for the specific reason of ending the life.The divagation between euthanasia and assisted suicide is that in the case of euthanasia, it is the physician who administers the lethal dose or withdraws the life foul system because the patient in question is unable to administer the same to him/herself. Thus, the difference lies in the difference in who makes the action that precedes death. In assisted suicide, it is the patient who acts last. The choice of taking the lethal dosage or pushing the button that will terminate life solely rests with the patient and they have the capacity to change their finale before their actions become irreversible.Even though the physician plays a causal role in both the patient kills him/herself in assisted suicide while in the latter, it is the physician who kills the patient. This difference creates an intrinsical moral difference between the two. This brings into question the principle of respect for self-sufficiency. The moral principle of respect for autonomy refers to a patients freedom of liberty or choice interests. However, it should not be rugged with an all-for-nothing phenomenon. Gradations of autonomy and its interpretation in different circumstances are variable.A patients autonomy can be interfered with when there is excessive control (too much interference with the patients decisions) or when there is too little interference (neglect of the patient). Respect for an individuals auto nomy is also imperil in cases where an individuals right contravenes another individuals freedom of choice and their actions (Brent 40). With respect to assisted suicide, the patient in question having satisfied the qualifications of making an informed consent can bay the causal assistance of the physician to carry out actions that directly lead to their death.In such a case, professional codes of ethics bind physicians to respect the patients rights to self stopping point by unobstructing the conditions for the operating theatre of an autonomous action such as intentionality, understanding, and the complete absence of any controlling influence. In a situation where all these conditions are met and the physician dutifully performs their causal roles, physician assisted suicide is ethically correct. This is so because so long as the patients rights are supported it automatically follows that ethical permissibility of assisted suicide is also granted (Weir 89 http//www. deathrefer ence.com/). In cases whether the patient is suffering from a treatable clinical depression or dementia which impair the decision making capacity of the patient, the right to self determination do not apply (http//www. inclusiondaily. com/). The moral principle of Non maleficence hold that a person should not do harm. It specifically holds that one should have the capacity to discern actions that are morally harmful. However, there is list as determining the intention behind an action. At the same time, determining whether an intentional or unplanned action refrains from action harms or puts the subject at a risk of harm.The moral principle of beneficence entails the following obligations to prevent harm, to eliminate harm, and to do good. These three conditions characterize the measures taken by medical practitioners to equilibrize the components of risks, harms and benefits. Beneficence therefore encompasses professional, personal and societal obligations (Brent 41). The princip le of beneficence largely builds on the foundational principle of non maleficence. In this case assisted suicide is ethically permissible on the basis of an individuals surface being.It can be argued that in such a case, to promoting and protecting the patients well being may be contradictory to the patients right to self determination. However, this is not so. Life is often is perceived as being good and its value is a product of our pursuit of goods within life itself. In an assisted suicide scenario, a person who is fully competent to reach a decision decides that life sustaining treatments no longer has any benefit but has become a burden. Most of these patients are often critically ill, dying or in a very debilitated and severely compromised state.If such patients request the means to end their lives, it is in line with non maleficence or beneficence because such an act is value to the patients life. Unless if the patient is unable to reach a competent decision and the dictato rial authority transferred to a surrogate, the right of self determination stands and is not in contradiction to the principles of non maleficence and maleficence(Weir 90). Moreover, such a decision is only ethical if it does not infringe on the moral and professional values of the physician. Additionally, assisted suicide is an act of compassion that eliminates further suffering and pain.Refusal to grant the patient their claim or entitlement is akin to putting them to unbearable suffering. Finally, the moral principle of justice simply refers to fairness. It is the act of receiving ones due entitlement or claim. Distributive justice concerns itself with how fairly benefits can be allocated and distributed. Basically, four considerations guide moral justice. For instance, an equal share, match to a persons need, according to a persons effort, and lastly, according to societal contribution (Brent 42).Physician assisted suicide is supported by the moral principle of justice in the context of treat similar cases alike (http//depts. washington. edu/). When competent but terminally ill patients request lethal dose medications or spurn life sustaining treatments with the sole purpose of hastening death, it is only just that they should be granted their claim. However, these arguments are only suited when the ethics of assisted suicide is analyzed on a basis of the biomedical ethical principles. working Cited BBC News. Assisted suicide danger claim.April 20, 2009. http//news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8008736. stm Beauchamp, Tom L, & Childress, James F. Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford University Press, 2001 1-23 Brent, Nancy J. Nurses and the police a guide to principles and applications. 2nd Edition. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2000 40-47 Reynolds, Dave. Assisted Suicides For Mental Illness, Too, Swiss royal court Rules. Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, Eugenics, Bioethics. Inclusion Daily Express. February 5, 2007. http//www. inclusiondaily. com /archives/07/02/05/020507sweuth.htm Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Bioethics. http//www. deathreference. com/A-Bi/Bioethics. html Harrison-Kelly, Peter. The Principlist approach to bioethics, and its stormy tour overseas. in, Scratching the surface of bioethics, By Matti Hayry, Tuija Takala. Rodopi Press, 2003 65-72 Physician-Assisted Suicide. Ethics in Medicine. University of Washington School of Medicine. http//depts. washington. edu/bioethx/topics/pas. html Weir, Robert F. Physician-assisted suicide. Indiana University Press, 1997 86-97