PHI 413V Topic 3 DQ 1
The four principles of biomedical ethics, especially in the context of bioethics in the United
States, have often been critiqued for raising the principle of autonomy to the highest place,
such that it trumps all other principles or values. Based on your worldview, how do you
rank the importance of each of the four principles in order to protect the health and safety
of diverse populations?
The principles of bioethics were developed to guide healthcare professionals in patient care and
nursing research. The four principles of bioethics are beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for
autonomy, and justice. Beneficence is acting in the best interest of others (Fowler & Schoonover-
Shoffner, 2023). Beneficence can be directed towards a single person or towards a larger
community (Hoehner, 2022). Healthcare providers and researchers should strive to provide
benefits to patients and research participants. They should simultaneously balance the potential
risks of interventions with any potential benefits. Nonmaleficence is the obligation to do no harm
and is based on the Hippocratic oath. Healthcare professionals have an ethical obligation to
carefully evaluate each situation before making any decisions. They must be aware of how their
actions can impact others and must act accordingly. Each healthcare professional is responsible
for understanding the code of ethics and following it. Providers and researchers should always
prioritize the safety of patients and research participants. They should take all necessary
precautions to avoid causing harm. An example of this is with the Tuskegee Study of Untreated
Syphilis in the Negro Male. In this instance, patients did not know they had syphilis and the
providers knew and withheld curative treatment (Fowler & Schoonover-Shoffner, 2023).
However, we know in medical care our patients are stuck with needles, given medication that
could cause potential adverse reactions, and undergo surgery that literally cuts them open.
Sometimes “harm” is an unwanted but unavoidable occurrence in order to obtain information or
treatment to help our patients (Hoehner, 2022). Justice emphasizes the distribution of benefits
and burdens with fairness and impartiality (Fowler & Schoonover-Shoffner, 2023). A person
should not be discriminated against because of socioeconomic factors, caste, culture, sex, gender,
and others. For example, in organ donation, you can’t buy an organ and you can’t buy your way
to the top of the transplant waiting list. This is in fact illegal. UNOS has a computer system that
generates a ranked list of candidates based on only medical and logistical factors. Organs are
matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency, waiting time and geographic
location (UNOS, 2023). Respect for autonomy emphasizes the right of individuals to make their
own decisions and choices. Autonomy in medical practice ensures that healthcare professionals
do not exert undue influence on patients. Patients are given the maximum possible control over
their treatment and care. This approach aims to enhance patient welfare by enabling patients to
make informed decisions about their health (Hoehner, 2022). For example, a patient suffering
from an incurable disease is in a clinical trial. They have the right to end their clinical trial
treatment on the basis of autonomy. Conversely, the patient may feel “my body my choice” and
invoke autonomy. However, is it really just their body now? Because there is now another
human, a soul, growing in them. All these principles of have a specific objective and are
considered equally important. Unfortunately, healthcare workers are sometimes faced with
difficult situations. They may need to make decisions that go against their beliefs, morals, and
The four principles of biomedical ethics, especially in the context of bioethics in the United
States, have often been critiqued for raising the principle of autonomy to the highest place,
such that it trumps all other principles or values. Based on your worldview, how do you
rank the importance of each of the four principles in order to protect the health and safety
of diverse populations?
The principles of bioethics were developed to guide healthcare professionals in patient care and
nursing research. The four principles of bioethics are beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for
autonomy, and justice. Beneficence is acting in the best interest of others (Fowler & Schoonover-
Shoffner, 2023). Beneficence can be directed towards a single person or towards a larger
community (Hoehner, 2022). Healthcare providers and researchers should strive to provide
benefits to patients and research participants. They should simultaneously balance the potential
risks of interventions with any potential benefits. Nonmaleficence is the obligation to do no harm
and is based on the Hippocratic oath. Healthcare professionals have an ethical obligation to
carefully evaluate each situation before making any decisions. They must be aware of how their
actions can impact others and must act accordingly. Each healthcare professional is responsible
for understanding the code of ethics and following it. Providers and researchers should always
prioritize the safety of patients and research participants. They should take all necessary
precautions to avoid causing harm. An example of this is with the Tuskegee Study of Untreated
Syphilis in the Negro Male. In this instance, patients did not know they had syphilis and the
providers knew and withheld curative treatment (Fowler & Schoonover-Shoffner, 2023).
However, we know in medical care our patients are stuck with needles, given medication that
could cause potential adverse reactions, and undergo surgery that literally cuts them open.
Sometimes “harm” is an unwanted but unavoidable occurrence in order to obtain information or
treatment to help our patients (Hoehner, 2022). Justice emphasizes the distribution of benefits
and burdens with fairness and impartiality (Fowler & Schoonover-Shoffner, 2023). A person
should not be discriminated against because of socioeconomic factors, caste, culture, sex, gender,
and others. For example, in organ donation, you can’t buy an organ and you can’t buy your way
to the top of the transplant waiting list. This is in fact illegal. UNOS has a computer system that
generates a ranked list of candidates based on only medical and logistical factors. Organs are
matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency, waiting time and geographic
location (UNOS, 2023). Respect for autonomy emphasizes the right of individuals to make their
own decisions and choices. Autonomy in medical practice ensures that healthcare professionals
do not exert undue influence on patients. Patients are given the maximum possible control over
their treatment and care. This approach aims to enhance patient welfare by enabling patients to
make informed decisions about their health (Hoehner, 2022). For example, a patient suffering
from an incurable disease is in a clinical trial. They have the right to end their clinical trial
treatment on the basis of autonomy. Conversely, the patient may feel “my body my choice” and
invoke autonomy. However, is it really just their body now? Because there is now another
human, a soul, growing in them. All these principles of have a specific objective and are
considered equally important. Unfortunately, healthcare workers are sometimes faced with
difficult situations. They may need to make decisions that go against their beliefs, morals, and
