Abstract This paper presents an argument for the necessity of animal testing of medical products, consumer products and research for cures and discoveries for illnesses and disorders. The claim is made that alternative means of testing are not as effective.
From the Paper "Throughout the years there have been many groups who have protested using animals for the purpose of testing products. These products include medical products, consumer products and research for cures and discoveries about illnesses and disorders. The groups who protest the use of animals say that it is cruel to use them for the tests when alternative methods could be found. While alternative methods have been developed for many types of testing the use of animals for testing must still be embraced. Alternative testing methods have not proven themselves to be as reliable as animal testing."
Abstract This paper defines the concept of business ethics and uses the setting of an everyday office environment sitution to understand various theories. It shows how awareness level among the general public is increasing and people are expecting the companies to be more socially and morally responsible. The paper examines steps taken by organizations to seriously consider the ethical aspects of their business and to improve them. An imaginary scenario is presented and several business ethics theories are applied to analyze the situation.
From the Paper "While discussing the application of business ethics theories to a typical office worker's experience, we should first discuss the concept of business ethics.
"In very simple terms the concept of ethics involves learning what is right or wrong and then deciding to go for the right thing. However, in practical terms it is not that easy to determine the right thing as is discussed in many management and business ethics literatures. Majority of the ethical problems or issues faced by a person in the workplace are not that simple to be solved as it apparently seems while going through the literature on business ethics, which recommend a "complete" solution to the problem."
Abstract This paper discusses the unethical side of business, in particular the ethics facing companies who sell products that have been produced under sweatshop conditions. It examines the exploitation of sweatshops and the surrounding scandals. It also evaluates a code of ethics that The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences has set up that could serve as a model for all companies, including those corporations and multinationals dealing with Third World suppliers. The paper includes an appendix of relevant articles.
From the Paper "Foreign sweatshops using child labor create particular problems for American companies outsourcing to such companies. The issue is not simply the ethics of sweatshop conditions but also the ethics of child labor, which may mean something different in the foreign country than it means in the United States. Some point out that this is an issue that makes the question of social responsibility more difficult to assess, given that a boycott of goods produced by child labor could make conditions in these Third World countries even worse (Razzi, 1995, 46). American companies should adhere to a code of ethics that prevents them from ending up in the middle of the sort of scandals noted above."
Abstract This paper questions how much social responsibility the American individual should have. It shows that the past 250 years have provided Americans with the idea that their individual wants and desires supersede any social need. As the nation faces new troubles, such as terrorism attacks, a slumping economy and other problems, it is becoming important to blend the individual rights with a duty to recognize and act on social responsibility. The paper concludes that if Americans do not begin to spend more time on social responsibility the nation faces the possibility of having to fight for individuals rights.
From the Paper "This is the importance of human individual rights. The right to live peacefully and to pursue happiness is given to each and every person who resides within the boundaries of America. This right is so protected that the Supreme Court is charged with the decision in each case to know if the rights of an individual have been violated or not. If a federal or state government body tries to enact a law that infringes on individual rights the Supreme Court will intervene and stop the law. This is what the nation has been built on and it is what is upheld at the cost and exclusion of all else."
Abstract Discusses implications for nursing care of Euthanasia. Argues that legalizatioin of end-of-life options makes sense. Debate over issue. Varied definitions of passive euthanasia & assisted suicide. Issue of patient autonomy. Responsibilities of nurses to safeguard patients; their supportive role in health care. Following the orders of physicians. ANA code.
From the Paper "This research examines whether assisted suicide and euthanasia should be legalized and the implications for nursing care. The position taken herein is that legalization makes sense. However, that position should not be confused with an endorsement of assisted suicide and euthanasia. That is, the fact of legalization of end-of-life options for patients and caregivers does not carry with it a mandate for acting them out.
In recent years, the issue of euthanasia has come up before the legislatures of many states. But debate has been problematic for a variety of reasons. To begin with, there are problems connected with discussing euthanasia from a philosophical standpoint alone. That is because philosophy overlaps into law, public policy, medical practice, and medical administration. Another problem is that there is no single definition of..."
Abstract Discusses use of human body parts for transplant operations. Problem of imbalance between supply and demand for human organs. Free market approach. Human organ harvesting. Whether supply will grow as donors or families of cadavers respond to high prices paid for human organs. Four exhibits in addition to paper.
From the Paper "CONSIDERING A MARKET FOR HUMAN ORGANS: A SUPPORTIVE POSITION ASSESSMENT
In the United States, a country that regularly condemns human rights abuses, including trafficking in human organs, in other countries, amoral economists, politically conservative organizations that regularly condemn fetal cell research, and others who view "the market" as God (with a Capital G), promote the concept of a free market in human organs. The usual justification for this concept is that the non-market regulation of the collection and assignment of human body parts for transplant operations is a failure because it allows the development of an imbalance between the supply and the demand for human organs (Schiller 1).
According to the proponents of a free market in human body ..."
Abstract This essay first delivers a general overview of ES cell research. It then looks at ethical dilemmas from both sides with the aid of four ethical theories - Act Utilitarianism, Ethic of Care, Kantian Ethics and Moral Rights Theory. In addition, it addresses the personhood of an embryo. Finally, the conclusion unites the main themes in stating that ES cell research is ethical.
From the Paper "The topic of embryonic stem (ES) cell research emerged in 1998, when James Thompson and his colleagues first derived the cells from pre-implantation human blastocysts [1]. Since then, ES cells have quickly become one of the decade's greatest philosophical dilemmas. Although this research has the potential to cure such illnesses as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, paralysis, and muscular dystrophe (among many other disorders) [3]; researchers? largest boundary is providing a concrete ethical basis for its continued study."
Abstract This persuasive paper provides support for the legalization of gambling in the U.S. It argues that since 48 states already support gambling in some form or another, there is no reason why gambling of all forms should be allowed in all states. The paper looks at the financial benefits of gambling to America's economy and argues that gambling is no bigger a vice than smoking or drinking alcohol.
From the Paper "Gambling should also be legalized because on-line stock trading is legal. On-line trading is the buying and selling of stocks and bonds over the Internet for persons 21 and over. The trading of stocks over the Internet is essentially gambling, with the same outcomes of winning and losing money. The stock market is designed for careful investors who research and plan their buying and selling. With the establishment of on-line stock trading the market has become a form of gambling. Now people who have the required $1,000 to establish an Internet account just sit down at their computers and "bet" on whether a company's stock will go up or down to "win" the trader money, just like betting on whether a seven or eleven will come up on the dice."
Abstract This paper argues that since obesity is a medical disability, employers should institute and strictly enforce policies regarding discrimination against obese individuals. The first part of this paper looks at the reasons and misconceptions that give rise to discrimination against obese persons. It then evaluates the fallacies of these misconceptions. In the conclusion, the paper details the legal resources and other options available to people who experience weight-based discrimination.
From the Paper "The discriminatory behavior extends to salaries. The starting salaries of overweight people with MBAs, for example, are around $3,000 higher than their overweight counterparts. In addition, many overweight and obese employees say they are forced to forego benefits like health care coverage (Valenti). The situation is worse for those who are morbidly obese, or who are 100 percent over their ideal recommended weight. Their salaries were an average 24.1 percent lower than those of their slimmer counterparts with equal qualifications."
This paper addresses the "land ethic" put forth in Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" in which he suggests that human beings will never be able to reconcile conservation efforts with their desire to maintain a contact with the natural world.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, 2002, $ 35.95
Abstract This paper addresses the "land ethic" put forth in Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" in which he suggests that human beings will never be able to reconcile conservation efforts with their desire to maintain a contact with the natural world. In turn, this destroys the natural world.
Tags: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND ECOLOGY / ETHICS, conservation effort leopold
Abstract This paper examines the principles of utilitarianism, a deontological theory that assesses morality by looking ahead to the end result and the consequences that it will cause in terms if the happiness generated. It outlines some of the criticisms levelled at utilitarianism as a theory- such as those of ignoring personal factors, being too complex to undertake,and not allowing for any concrete intrimnsic moral values.
From the Paper "It is also not possible for an individual to be able to fully envisage all of the possible consequences an action might lead to. The decision made may therefore not be fully informed and could have disastrous unforeseeable results. As a deontological theory then, it becomes redundant. The act of calculation itself becomes too complicated to be able to employ in everyday life. People are not able to contemplate any result that could arise from any action they consider in terms of the happiness benefit. This hugely undermines the practicality of such a theory, as it would unrecognisably transform a persons life."
Tags: consequentialism, ethics, mills, morality, philosophy, rawls, theory, williams
Abstract This paper addresses the concern most often vocalized about euthanasia, namely, whether it is a form of murder or mercy. The author of the paper puts forth arguments that euthanasia should be legalized and applies the ethical theories of consequentialism and non-consequentialism to help assess and evaluate whether or not euthanasia should be legalized and, ultimately, to support the author's point of view. The paper also provides suggestions for legal protections and policies that should be put in place if euthanasia is legalized.
From the Paper "Most of the issues in the legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), or better known as Euthanasia, rest under contentious questions of ethics and morality. The process of euthanasia, in which death of a terminally ill patient is hastened by some means to end sufferings from a terminal disease, presents a question between two situations wherein concerns of ethics and morality are debated as to where it properly lies ? When is it morally correct, to hasten the death of a dying patient from a terminal disease to end his sufferings, or to let him suffer from pain and let the course of his disease's nature take place? This question has been one of the moral issues concerning the legalization of euthanasia. In simple and legal terms, it is associated to the debatable question "Is euthanasia a form of murder"?"
A look at the background and structure of managed care in an effort to reveal the underlying ethical issues and come up with a solution to the problem.
Abstract This paper examines how health care is a unique category of business in that every decision, whether it be clinical or economic, has an ethical component. It looks at how the ethical issues for "managed care" create four major categories of concern: professional, medical, business, and social. It also discusses how some of the most important areas for attention include the lack of professional code of ethics for physician executives, interference with the principles of informed consent and patient autonomy, violation of consumer rights, and social maleficence in obstruction to access and delivery.
Outline
Introduction
The Basics of Managed Health Care
Prioritizing Ethical Issues
Conclusion and Recommendations
From the Paper "Medical directors and administrators in managed health care organizations today face those kinds of decisions every day (Woodstock Theological Center, 1999). For doctor like Stanley to be able to make good ethical decisions, they must understand the ethical issue involved in managed health care. Many doctors initially feel that the problems lie with the managed health care organizations, as they have seen first-hand many of the "unethical" decisions that managed care organizations make. However, recently, it has become apparent that people who are assumed to have the same perspective, such as the doctors, do not always agree on what would be the right decision. Second, doctors have begun to understand the perspectives of those with whom they disagreed."
Abstract Doctors and patients alike are faced with ethical dilemmas with regard to several aspects of the cosmetic surgery industry. This paper explores several of these ethical issues, namely, factors in the decision to have elective surgery, deceptive marketing strategies, and bartering professional services for publicity. The analysis for each topic includes research from the professional societies, the general public, and the author's own subjective opinion.
From the Paper "Plastic surgery has a very long history. As early as 1000 B.C.E., the first plastic surgery was reported in India, where a person's nose might be cut off as a form of punishment or, in the case of an adulterous Hindu wife, bitten off by the wronged husband. Procedures, which displayed remarkable similarity to present rhinoplasties, were developed to reconstruct the noses of such errant individuals (Davis 14). Plastic surgery appeared much later on the European continent. In the early fifteenth century, physicians began doing nose surgeries, by using skin flaps taken from the arm. Other forms of plastic surgery began to appear around the early sixteenth century. With the invention of ether and antisepsis, plastic surgery was able to emerge as a full-fledged medical specialty (Davis 15). In the first part of the century, nearly all plastic surgeries were done to alleviate deformities due to disease, birth or mishap; however, in the second half of the century this was no longer the case."
Abstract This paper examines how act utilitarianism is a direct moral theory and how the morally right action is the one that maximises happiness. In comparison, it looks at how rule utilitarianism, while concerned with actions, is a more indirect theory in which the morally right action is not the one that necessarily maximises happiness in every situation. It considers whether John Mill is an act or rule utilitarian, using Mill's idea of customary morality and evaluates which version of utilitarianism is more plausible.
From the Paper "Rule utilitarianism is not then very plausible as a form of utilitarianism, but it does at least offer answers to some of the problems with act utilitarianism. If one is to maximise happiness then in theory one has to calculate the welfare values associated with every potential action. This is obviously not realistic as one would have to spend a good deal of one's live calculating such values, which itself would surely not lead to happiness being maximised as these calculations themselves can not be described as particularly pleasurable. Indeed would someone really stand on the shore contemplating the consequences of saving a drowning man for more than a split second before acting?"
