Ethical Foundations

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Ethical Foundations
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Ethics

• The study of morality
• Ethics vs morals

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Ethics and Health Education

• Ethical behavior is conscious behavior
• Ethical behavior is acting with integrity.
• Moral positions require thought and are NOT
  primarily dependent on feelings.

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Consequentialism (teleologial)

• Evaluates the moral status of an act by looking
  at the consequences
• The END (consequences) does justify the Means
  (the act).

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Formalism

• AKA deontological or nonconsequentialism
• Determine morality by whether or not an act is
  right or wrong in itself
• The END (consequences) does not justify the Means
  (the act)

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• Basic Principles for Common Moral Ground

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1 Value of Life Principle

• Human beings should revere life and accept
  death. (Cottrell et al, p. 147)
• No life should be ended without very strong
  justification.

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2 Goodness (rightness) Principle

• Good and right are at the core of every ethical
  decision.
• Two categories
• Beneficence or benevolence
• Promotes the welfare of others
• Nonmaleficence
• Do not cause needless harm or injury to others
• Commission harm from action
• Omission harm from inaction

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3 Justice/Fairness Principle

• We can expect to be treated justly and fairly in
  our dealings with other people and institutions.

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4 Truth Telling (honesty) Principle

• Communicating truth is essential to morality.

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5 Individual Freedom Principle

• AKA Equity or Autonomy
• Having and respecting the origins of individuals
  to deliberate, choose, and act within the
  framework of the other basic principles.

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The critical imperative (Mellert, 1995)

• Would you want your course of action to be a
  model for others?
• If others were faced with the same decision, is
  this how you would want them to act?

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Making Ethical Decisions
(Pearson Ed, 2012)
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Consideration for Health Educators

• Confidentiality
• Guided by HIPAA
• Informed Consent
• Negligence
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Code of Ethics

• document that maps the dimensions of the
  professions collective social responsibility and
  acknowledges the obligations individual
  practitioners share in meeting the professions
  responsibilities. (Cottrell et al., p. 161)

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Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession

• Article I Responsibility to the Public
• Article II Responsibility to the Profession
• Article III Responsibility to Employers
• Article IV Responsibility to the Delivery of
  Health Education
• Article V Responsibility to Research and
  Evaluation
• Article VI Responsibility to Professional
  Preparation