In healthcare, ethics, morals and values play a rather crucial role. It is important to be able to differentiate between the concepts and understand their influence on the field. Ethics in healthcare refer to a set of principles that assist medical professionals with providing care. It features both one’s moral beliefs and the comprehension of the provider’s duty towards others. Moral beliefs are represented by one’s belief of what right and wrong (Dignity Health, 2022). Another crucial aspect of the field is the set of values, with some of them being benevolence, patient autonomy and non-malevolence. Healthcare law encapsulates execute, judicial and legislative regulations and rules that control the industry (Pantekoek, 2020). It deals with such issues as fraud, antitrust, bioethics and abuse. These issues in the field are something many healthcare lawyers focus on. In combination, these aspects create ground for concern, as they may sometimes contradict each other.
This may occur as a result of two rather complicated reasons. Primarily, the nature of business ethics is different from healthcare ones. The former refer to suitable business practices and policies that are related to controversial subjects, such as bribery, corporate social responsibilities and discrimination (Twin, 2022). Meanwhile, the latter accentuate the importance of a patient’s rights in the field (Olejarczyk & Young, 2022). Second, the legal or moral risks may outweigh the classic ethical standards. For example, if there is an unavoidable risk to the patient’s and other people’s safety, the right for autonomy and confidentiality may be breached. This demonstrates the complexity and severity of the aforementioned conflict.
Unfortunately, the law may force medical professionals to violate a patient’s rights even if doing so is unadvisable. A teenager in Florida was rejected the right to having an abortion because she was deemed too immature to have one (Filipovic, 2022). This was caused by parental consent laws and the youth had a guardian instead of a parent. In this case, she will be forced to be the sole caregiver of the child, in spite of lacking the resources for it.
In conclusion, while the role of ethics, morals and values is crucial in healthcare, it can sometimes be contradicted. The law resulted in a decision that was legal, but highly unethical and not suitable for the consumer’s interests. Due to the conflict between obligation and principles, such as bodily autonomy and non-malevolence, the minor will be forced to become a parent without having the necessary means.
References
Dignity Health. (2022). Ethics in healthcare — strategies and tips for improving patient-centered care. Web.
Filipovic, J. (2022). Florida calls teen ‘too immature’ for an abortion. But forced motherhood is fine? the Guardian. Web.
Olejarczyk, J. P., & Young, M. (2022). Patient rights and ethics – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web.
Pantekoek, K. (2020). What is health care law? – FindLaw. Findlaw. Web.
Twin, A. (2022). Business Ethics: Definition, Principles, Why They’re Important. Investopedia. Web.