Bioethics

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Bioethics was initially projected with very broad objectives. V.R. Potter understood it as a dialogue between scientists and humanists to preserve humanity from its self-destruction and promote quality of life. In his own words: "Humanity urgently needs a new wisdom that will provide it with the knowledge of how to use knowledge for man's survival and for the improvement of his quality of life. ... I propose the term bioethics in order to emphasize the two most important ingredients for achieving the new wisdom that is so desperately needed: biological knowledge and human values." The Encyclopedia of Bioethics, edited by Warren Reich in 1978, suggested the following definition of bioethics: "The systematic study of human behavior in the life sciences and health care, examining this behavior in the light of moral values and principles." Nowadays, bioethics is understood as a practical ethics applied to the life sciences, which tries to answer the ethical problems that arise. Bioethics has several fields. The most relevant are philosophical or fundamental bioethics (addresses the philosophical foundations of bioethics), environmental bioethics, research bioethics (with humans and non-human animals) and clinical bioethics. Today's complex multidisciplinary model of health care generates numerous ethical conflicts. When taking into account the values of all the actors involved, there is inevitably a disparity of criteria. The conflicts that are generated are not merely technical, they are also ethical, because the values of the people or institutions involved conflict. In this scenario, it is important for healthcare professionals to know how to consider the technical issues and values at stake (the preferences of those involved, principles, rules, etc.), in order to make good decisions. All the areas mentioned are of great importance, because of the issues they address and because their problems are very common. Many professionals face bioethical problems that are difficult to respond to (in clinic, research or in relation to the environment) and their training to deal with these problems is often deficient. Moreover, since problems in bioethics are complex, they go beyond the boundaries of a single profession. For this reason, multidisciplinarity is essential, the participation of scientists, health professionals, philosophers, jurists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists and any other professional involved in the most burning ethical issues in relation to the life sciences. It is necessary to improve the bioethics training of future professionals so that they can better face bioethical problems. Bioethics education has become a preferred area in Europe, the United States and the rest of the world, since the problems are not limited to a specific area: they are global problems.