Toslima 1
Applying Two Major Moral Principles
Syeda Toslima
Professor Masley
Oakland University
Introduction
Bioethics is crucial in health-related life sciences; after clinical tests or medication using human subjects, there possible challenges that are likely to arise (Di Paolo et al., 2019). There needs informed consent to ensure the participants have protected exploitation of any kind. With the increased genetic technologies, much medication in contemporary society is about genetics, which raises numerous conflicts. The DNA profile of a client or patient can be exposed to third parties against the will of the victim, which raises moral concerns in the health care practitioners. Di Paolo et al. (2019) add those clinical ethics demands clinical officers to ensure a high degree of confidentiality, truthfulness, autonomy, and informed consent, among other moral principles in the field of profession.
There are critical issues in medicine, public health, or social policy that need to be addressed first in introducing any new genetic test. The first basic information regards the circumstances for trial, the implementation of the test, and the consent of participants in the test. Before signing the consent form, the participant should be aware of what information is included and in a stable mental state to agree or be helped under the clinical ethics (Howe, 2018). There is an increased concern whether the law enforcers should be allowed to explore people’s DNA profiles in the medical database to help to solve crimes in society. This paper will discuss confidentiality and beneficence as the essential moral principles concerning whether the law enforcers should be allowed to use recreational DNA testing to help solve crimes.
Bioethical dilemma
The dilemma lies between whether medical practitioners to remain confidential and preserve client’s data or should beneficence push them to break the secrets. Medical and genetic data privacy is a debatable issue from time to time. The question is based on who owns the DNA data and how is the data regulated against editing? How to treat private medical data and specifically sensitive genetic profiles in the client’s interest against the interest of the law enforcers to use the same available data in the clinical servers to perform investigative activities is ever debatable (Howe, 2018). It is a fact that medical practitioners must be truthful and confidential to their clients or patients in terms of keeping secrets. Sometimes they may be forced to stay an obligatory secret.
Healthcare officers are mandatorily obligated to professional secrets of confidentiality, in that they should never share personal medical information with third parties without the client’s consent (Christen, Ineichen, & Tanner, 2014). On the other hand, the concept of beneficence as a moral and moral practice calls for personal charity, goodness and kindness, and human actions to promote good to the public. The rule of beneficence encourages the moral obligation that benefits others in terms of legitimacy and prevention and removal of harmful possibilities in society. In ethical theory, many actions of beneficence are understood as obligatory. However, it may result from optional moral ideals that bring good to the organization through not an obligation to everyone.
Definition of terms
Bioethics: is a school of ethics that analyses philosophical, social, and legal concerns in medicine and life disciplines. It aims at promoting the well-being of individuals in society (Christen et al., 2014).
Recreational DNA: recreational genetics assesses DNA markers to determine personal lineage, originality and biogeographic information, and human migrations. Mitochondrial DNA analysis is done in women while men undergo Y-DNA (Christen et al., 2014).
Confidentiality is a principle or a rule that understands that another person’s body (bio information) is sensitive. Therefore, its access should remain secretive to the parties involved unless consent permits otherwise (Grigor’ev & Pestov, 2010).
Beneficence: refers to acts or own qualities of kindness, mercy, charity, and generosity with the aim of love, altruism, humanity deeds, and promoting the common good to others (Grigor’ev & Pestov, 2010).
Discussion
Health practitioners are entitled to show high ethical standards regarding keeping health data secretive at any cost. When it involves recreational DNA tests for individuals, participants may decline any attempts for the clinical officers to share their biodata with their parties (Christen et al., 2014). Moral responsibility and professional ethics demand that healthcare workers assess any genetic information during patient medication, and they should not disclose it without the patient’s authorization. Some biogenetic information may be critical to keeping, but professional ethics seeks confidentiality without conditions (Grigor’ev & Pestov, 2010). For instance, federal law provides individuals with rights over their health information and determines who can reach their health data. The data protection covers all forms, electronic, written, or conversation. The articulation is in article 6 in the supremacy clause that states the HIPAA privacy rule based on the states’ governments and the federal governments, giving the federal government the mandate to act upon a contradiction in the laws. Therefore, the genetic information should remain confidential as per the interest of the patients and the requirements of professional ethics.
However, the moral obligation covered under the beneficence rule demands that health care practitioners should act towards achieving the common good of others in society. The common good is about whatever action benefits the many in the community and is accepted as a moral duty (Grigor’ev & Pestov, 2010). For instance, law enforcers are seeking genetic information to carry on investigative processes contradicts the rule of confidentiality. Bridging confidentiality is going against professional ethics, personal promises, and consent agreement. On the other hand, delivering the information to the investigators shows social, moral responsibility mores so when the information will assist in preventing or control of societal harm that may happen if confidentiality is attained. For instance, having biodata for a criminal suspect is very helpful in performing investigative procedures. But also delivering the data may result in further editing and formation of biased conclusions to harm the individual who may be innocent of the accusations. Beneficence is generally perceived as the internal motive to do more than expected without the medical officer exposing himself to alarming situations. The acts of beneficence should come from within personal urge and not external forces to ensure the success and the applicability of the moral principle (Grigor’ev & Pestov, 2010).
Conclusion
Whether medical officers should release DNA data to be used by the law enforces has divergent views. There is no better approach to solve the issue but the responsibility of the data holder to weigh issues and apply deductive reasoning to form a conclusion or take action. Secondly, the constitution should clearly state what instances should be disclosed by proposing a parliamentary bill for discussion. Public views should matter in the proceedings to come up with a long-lasting solution.
References
Christen, M., Ineichen, C., & Tanner, C. (2014). How “moral” are the principles of biomedical ethics? – a cross-domain evaluation of the common morality hypothesis. BMC Medical Ethics, 15(1). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A539697656/OVIC?u=lom_oaklandu&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=c69578f9
Di Paolo, M., Gori, F., Papi, L., & Turillazzi, E. (2019). A review and analysis of new Italian law 219/2017:‘provisions for informed consent and advance directives treatment’. BMC medical ethics, 20(1), 1-7. https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12910-019-0353-2.pdf
Grigor’ev, A. I., & Pestov, I. D. (2010). Moral principles of space medicine. Human Physiology, 36(7), 742-745. https://col-oakland.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=4081344870004771&institutionId=4771&customerId=4765
Howe, A. (2018). Principles of a patient and public involvement in primary care research applied to mental health research. A keynote paper from the EGPRN Autumn Conference 2017 in Dublin. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 167-170. https://col-oakland.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=4081344760004771&institutionId=4771&customerId=4765
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