A perfect case for Valentine's Day, no?
Analyze the case by starting with the questions at the end. First 4 to respond just answer the questions from your own perspective. Next 4 answer from Utilitarian perspective, next 4 from Kant, next 4 from Virtue Ethics, next 4 from Principles of Bioethics, next 4 from Ethics of Care, next 4 from Ross' Principles.
1. I believe it is ethically acceptable for physician to provide services employing their medical skills in ways other than treatment of medical conditions.
ReplyDelete- A person should be able to make choices about their own body. Services such as tattoos and body piercings are akin to cosmetic surgery, in that a person willingly chooses to alter their body for their own reasons. I do not see a large difference with cosmetic surgery except on the scale of body alteration, and since the choice largely affects only the person, it is within the principle of autonomy to let them make the decision.
2. It is acceptable for physicians to stimulate demand for such services in whatever ways they wish.
- Advertisements are in a sense a business exercising their freedom of speech. It is up to the business to decide how to best sell their product to the consumers, and up to the consumers to make a decision based on the options presented. If someone is insecure enough about their own body to contemplate the cosmetic surgery after seeing an advertisement, then the problem is with their self-image.
3. I am slightly confused at the meaning of this question, but will attempt to answer based on what I believe it to be asking.
- Medicine should be considered to have stricter moral guidelines than those normally governing business. This is because the consequences and individual needs for medicine are far greater than those in business - the injustice that might occur in the former is more permanent and devastating than those in the latter. However, I do not think that cosmetic surgery can be considered 'medicine' in that is does not work to treat a medical condition. The surgery should be considered a business since it does not involve treatment, but is instead a personal choice made to alter one's body for one's own reasons.
1. I believe it is ethically acceptable for physicians to provide services that employ their medical skills for ends other than treating a medical illness, dysfunction or other diagnosable condition. This is someone’s own body, and they should be able to freely decide whatever it is that they wish to have done to it.
ReplyDelete2. I don’t believe it’s ethically acceptable to create ads that intend to stimulate demand for services by playing on someone’s insecurities, though without this idealized version of what “beauty” is supposed to look like, I don’t really see how else people would buy into these services so frequently.
3. I can’t exactly say that cosmetic surgery should be placed under the category of medicine, though I do see how these procedures may be thought of as “healing” insecurities, including depression brought on by low self-esteem. By taking cosmetic surgery out of the category of medicine, I do believe that the medical field should be viewed as a profession with stricter moral norms than those governing business. I would hope to find that most physicians are more focused on being governed by virtue and duty, and less concerned with self-interest and the promotion of their practice.
1. Yes it is ethically acceptable, If the patient has the money and the want to have a procedure done then it is okay for the doctor to do it.
ReplyDelete2. Yes it is ethically acceptable for the doctors to advertise their abilities for personal improvement. Other businesses use models to advertise their business all the time, I see no problem with doctors doing the same to grow their business.
3. It is more understood as a business because at the end of the day people are paying for a service.
1. I think it is morally acceptable for physicians to provide services that employ their medical skills for ends other than helping to combat disease. I do not see anything wrong with providing services for individuals who want to change insecurities about themselves. It is still technically helping individuals via medical practices although it just changes their psychological health.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think, however, it is ethically acceptable for physicians to advertise about these services. This is glamourizing unnecessary surgeries/procedures in order to “look good.” This is exploiting individuals in a non-physical way; there is not anything wrong with their health, but creating psychological cosmetic defects.
3. Medicine is best understood as a profession with stricter morals than those governing businesses. In medicine, lives are at stake which is more important than the goods or services business provide. Because medicine deals with health, which is vital, there are stricter moral norms that need to be followed.
The utilitarian perspective is that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. Therefore the utilitarian’s would argue that cosmetic surgery is ethically acceptable because while it does not benefit the majority it is useful to others and is not detrimental to the majority which is the main concern. However the utilitarian’s would argue that it is unethical for physicians to stimulate demand for such services with attention-grabbing advertisements that may take advantage of some people’s insecurities. The reason for this is when physicians take advantages of these people insecurities they are harming the majority who are affected by those with these insecurities. The utilitarian perspective views medicine as best understood as a business with stricter moral norms than governing businesses. Medicine is viewed as a business with stricter moral norms because the health of the majority is one of the most important things to insure because without healthy individuals the majority often cannot benefit.
ReplyDelete1. The Utilitarian would argue that physicians using their services for ends other than treating illness would be unethical. The Utilitarian is largely concerned with what is beneficial to the most people. Cosmetic surgery and other unnecessary medical procedures are not beneficial to the whole. The only potential benefit from such a practice would be a potential increase in a patient's view of them self and that is debatable if that is truly a benefit. It could be essentially a "Band-Aid" on an interior issue that could in the long run turn into a negative. The Utilitarian could see cosmetic surgery becoming a negative force in society. It is playing on the already present insecurities of young people. It could bring about more problems than it could potentially help. For example it could bring about social split between those who can afford to have such an operation and those who cannot. Now a society would exist in which there is an even greater gap between economic classes. To a Utilitarian this would most certainly be a major negative brought about by such procedures.
ReplyDelete2. The Utilitarian would argue that it is not ethically acceptable for physicians to advertise to take advantage of a person's insecurities. The only benefit from allowing this is an increase in business for the physician. However this would come at the cost of potentially damaging effects on individuals with insecurities. Because the majority would be harmed by this the Utilitarian would argue that it is unethical.
3. To the Utilitarian medicine is best understood as a profession with stricter moral norms. If it were to be viewed just as a business then the physicians would prosper by allowing them to essentially do whatever is best for them at the expense of their patients. This would be damaging to the majority so a Utilitarian would not support this model of medicine.
1. To a utilitarian it would be unethical because they are only providing a good for a select few people, the people that can afford it.
ReplyDelete2. As a utilitarian i think it would be unethical because they are supposed to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people and thinking of it as a business would only affect one person and that would be the doctor.
3. It is understood as a profession with stricter norms because of how utilitarians believe
1. The utilitarian perspective would argue that it is ethically acceptable because it provides the most pleasure. Cosmetic surgery (very rarely) causes harm.
ReplyDelete2. Again, the utilitarian perspective would argue that it's ethically acceptable because the advertisements would not be causing harm, only potential pleasure and "good".
3. A profession with stricter moral norms, from a utilitarian perspective.
Kant would argue that it is ethically acceptable because it is not causing harm to the doctors or the patients.
ReplyDeleteKant would say that it is unethical because he is all about respect for persons. Even though the ad is not directly being disrespectful, it may make people feel bad because they don't look as good as the people on the ad.
I think Kant would say that it should have stricter moral norms because medicine is about the welfare of the people and people's welfare is one of Kant's goals.
1. Kant would probably say that it is ethically acceptable to perform cosmetic procedures because the patient is requesting something that they believe will benefit their life. It will not harm the doctor or patient or anyone else involved so he would most likely not have an issue with a patient choosing this.
ReplyDelete2. Kant may have an issue with the advertisement because some people could be offended by this but if the majority benefited from this he may believe that it is okay. Considering most people will not be benefited directly from this billboard he would probably have an issue with it because more people would get offended.
3. I believe that Kant would want the morals of medicine to be stricter because he is all about the greater good. He would want the rules to be stricter so that more people can benefit from medicine.
1. From a Kantian perspective this would be considered morally acceptable because the doctor and the patient are both consenting, benefiting, and neither are being harmed in the process.
ReplyDelete2. This would be considered ethically unacceptable because the doctors are treating the customers as an end to a mean by using the patient's desire for physical attractiveness to their advantage. They're goal isn't to make the person happy it's to make money.
3. Medicine is a profession that should apply stricter moral norms than other professions. This particular set of careers should function under the common goal of bettering the lives of those who seek their help.
1. I believe, yes it is ethically and morally acceptable as long as the patients wishes are supported by the doctors practices. Each individual has the right to do what they want with their body such being tattoos, motherhood, piercings, etc so one should be able to do what they want.
ReplyDelete2. It is ethically acceptable for the doctors to advertise their abilities for personal improvement to an extent. The world is run by money so I don't believe it is ethically wrong as these types of procedures are in a sense business decisions anyway as the patient is paying a good price for the procedure.
3. It is more understood as a business because people are paying for a service being provided.