Medical Ethics MBBS semester 1 complete summary /study notes Ethics Lecture 1 – Introduction to Ethics, Bioethics and Medical Ethics ETHICS = most basic critical study of good and bad, right and wrong Divisions of ethics (*Appendix A) 1. Kantian[Deontology]–[religious]duty/reason;naturalisticfallacy o Live your life according to a set of rules, fixed rules, doesn’t matter the consequences or outcomes, just have to stick to rules o No consequences of an action only motives of an action 2. Naturalistic[Utilitarianism]–[secular]passions;consequentialism;utilitarianism(Hume) o Decisions based on consequences o SIDE NOTE - apparently our lecturer for this has a utilitarianism view of life – this is the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority 3. Virtueethics–ethicsguidedbycharacter 4. Pragmaticethics–socialethics,whatsocietythinksasawhole Medical ethics – 3 categories 1. Formaldiscourse:medicalboardofAustralia–ethicaladvicetodoctors 2. Semi-formaldiscourse:fromprofessionalgroupsegroyalcolleges–self-regulatedprofession 3. Unofficialdiscourse:discussionproducedbytheacademicbioethicscommentariatandother contributors to social and ethical debates – other doctors Different forms of ethics - Traditional medical ethics – tradition, authority, profession, codes of ethics, social contract/ exclusion/ostracism, role-modelling - Research ethics – eg WW2 - Clinical ethics – lots of questions linked with advancement of technology eg end of life issues - Bioethics Bioethics – uses principles of ethics and applies it to the world - Categories o Principlism ▪ Responses to principalism: communitarianism, global bioethics, benefit sharing, alternative conceptions of ethics   o Rights of theory o Contractarianism (social contract) o Casuistry – how a judge decides something, doctrine of the court - Fundamental principles o Autonomy (the right of self government ) – freedom to live own life
 Values, beliefs, tolerance, respect, reflected decisions, core enlightenment value all based on this), bioethics and biolaw o Beneficence – do good, greater good o Justice – fairness, equality o Non-malevolence – do no harm Lecture 2 – Law and Human Rights NATURAL LAW VS LEGAL POSITIVISM - Natural law – The Normative is part of the Fabric of the World – The law represents a higher moral authority, minimum moral content of law o Development o Originally – Independent of human beings, Divine law (immo