Ethical Theories, Principles, and Concepts Assignment

Ethical Theories, Principles, and Concepts - Assignment Example Medical staff may desist from helping patients in the event of occurrence of a disaster for fear of prosecution (Fremgen, 2009). The law provides a standard measure for an individual’s action and punishes lawbreakers. Whatever is punishable by law is immoral and unethical. However, the law permits actions such as manipulation and lying, which is morally offensive. The law set to regulate medical care aims at maintaining high standards of morality, which may not consider the anticipated good. Medical law and regulations allow for autonomy, which at times may make one make uninformed decision on a particular treatment procedure that could in turn affect the life of the patient and at times leading to loss of life. Some medical practices are justified in medical procedure  but are unethical and unethical. Therefore, the laws and regulations are a challenge other than a solution to the problem (Garrett, Baillie, & Garrett, 2010). The practice of medicine requires a proper understanding of the ethical philosophies and principles. The principals that safeguard it include among others the respect for autonomy. Autonomy provides the patient with the right to take well-informed independent choice without influence, and medical practitioners should obey the patient’s decisions. The principle provides for non-maleficence where the Hippocratic Oath applies (Fremgen, 2009). The doctor can only treat the patient according to what he or she knows best and avoid injuring the patient. The principle advocates for doing good to the patient. In this principle, the doctor must administer treatment to the patient without causing pain to the patient. Finally, the rule of justice must prevail. The medical care should be fair, reasonable, equitable and without preference (Fremgen, 2009). Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory that explains ethical practice to be for the good of the many.