What is bioethics?
Bioethics is a field of study where issues of moral and ethical dimensions are addressed, which relate research, decisions, conduct and procedures in the area of biology and medicine to law life.
The concept of bioethics is interdisciplinary and includes areas such as biology, law, philosophy, exact sciences, political science, medicine, environment, etc.
In Brazil, one of the main responsible for the expansion of this concept is the Brazilian Society of Bioethics (SBB), founded in 1995.
According to Jornal do Cremesp published in April of the same year, the meeting that later culminated in the creation of SBB had the following objectives:
Stimulate discussions in society on controversial topics such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted reproduction and engineering genetics and other problems related to life, death and human existence, but always aiming to debate the aspects ethical.
The principles of bioethics
In the definition of bioethics, two issues predominate: biological knowledge and human values.
It is subdivided into basic principles that seek to solve ethical problems arising from the development of procedures with living beings of all species.
When it comes to medical ethics, Hippocrates is a standout name. Considered the “father of medicine”, the Greek physician used to combine medicine and philosophy.
The focus of his relationship with the patient was good, and his approach was mainly guided by two principles: the principle of non-maleficence and the principle of beneficence.
1. Principle of non-maleficence
The principle of non-maleficence is based on the idea that no harm should be done to another. Thus, no action consisting of intentional harm to guinea pigs or patients is allowed.
The principle is represented by the Latin phrase: primum non nocere (first, don't harm). It aims to prevent a treatment or research from causing more harm than the possible benefit.
Some scholars defend that the principle of maleficence is, in fact, part of the principle of beneficence, as the act of not causing harm to another is, in itself, a practice of good.
Example of bioethics in the application of the principle of non-maleficence: In research for the development of a vaccine, the testing phase in humans is reached.
Tests showed that in 70% of cases, patients who received the vaccine were cured, but 30% died as a result of side effects.
Studies will be interrupted and the vaccine will not be able to be produced despite a high cure rate, causing the death of people is causing harm and violates the principle of non-maleficence.
2. principle of beneficence
This principle consists in doing good; in virtue of benefiting others.
Thus, professionals working in the field of research and experiments must ensure the accuracy of the technical information they have and be convinced that their actions and decisions have positive effects.
Thus, it is expected that any act has as its fundamental objective the good, never the bad.
Example of bioethics in the application of the principle of beneficence: a doctor is helping a patient who is at risk of death. This patient is a known killer.
This doctor's objective will always be to save her patient's life and will mobilize all the alternatives to make this happen.
According to the principle of beneficence, one should only look to the good. The neglect or omission (even if it could be justified) would be an evil and would hurt the bioethical principle.
3. principle of autonomy
The central idea of this principle is that everyone has the ability and freedom to make their own decisions.
Thus, any type of procedure to be performed on an individual's body and/or that is related to his/her life must be authorized by him.
In the case of children and people with disabilities, the principle of autonomy must be practiced by the respective family or legal guardian.
It is important that this principle is not practiced at the expense of the principle of beneficence; sometimes it needs to be disregarded so that one person's decision does not harm another.
The principle of autonomy is supported by law, under the Brazilian Code of Medical Ethics (Chapter V, Article 31).
This article highlights the patient's right to have their autonomy respected, in the following excerpt where it is indicated that the doctor is prohibited from:
(...) disrespecting the right of the patient or their legal representative to freely decide on the execution of diagnostic or therapeutic practices, except in case of imminent risk of death
Example of bioethics in the application of the principle of autonomy: When a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, there are no longer any treatments that can cure him. Generally, what is done in these cases is to give this patient palliative care, so that he feels relieved from the symptoms of the illness that affects him.
However, it is up to the patient to decide whether or not they want to proceed with these palliative care, as they do not make cure possible; they only alleviate (sometimes) the harmful effects of the disease.
It is up to the medical professional to respect the patient's decision if he does not want to receive such care.
4. principle of justice
In the field of bioethics, this principle is based on distributive justice and equity.
He defends that the distribution of health services must be done fairly and that there must be equal treatment for all individuals.
Such equality does not consist in giving the same to everyone, but in giving each one what each one needs.
Example of bioethics in the application of the principle of justice: a real case that exemplifies the principle of justice, took place in Oregon, USA.
In order to provide basic health care to a greater number of people, the local government reduced health care services that had high costs.
In this way, it was possible to carry out a wider distribution of available resources in order to help solve the problems of a larger portion of the population.
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What is bioethics for?
The application of the concept of bioethics aims to ensure that there is moral responsibility in medical and biological procedures, research and acts.
Bioethics seeks to ensure that human moral values are not lost, regardless of the historical and social development of humanity, during attempts to resolve conflicts and/or ethical dilemmas.
Based on its four principles, it values the appropriate behaviors for each specific situation.
Some of the issues that most require the intervention of bioethics are:
- Abortion;
- Cloning;
- Genetic engineering;
- Euthanasia;
- In vitro fertilization;
- Use of stem cells;
- Use of animals in experiments;
- Suicide.
It should be noted that the application of the principles of bioethics in relation to the cases above may vary depending on the country where it is practiced. What is sometimes allowed in certain countries can be classified as a crime in others. Abortion and euthanasia exemplify this situation.
Interested in knowing more about some topics related to this text? Be sure to check the topics below:
- Cloning
- genetic engineering
- Euthanasia
- Stem cells
