Lesson Take-Aways
What we hope you've learned from this lesson:
The field of ethics provides a systematic, rational way to work through a dilemma.
People often think of ethical decision-making as deciding between right and wrong. But dilemmas with clear right and wrong answers are easier in some ways--you already know which is right and which is wrong.
An ethical dilemma can arise when you need to make a choice between two options that both have bad outcomes--or even weigh two options that both have good outcomes. There may be several alternate solutions and they all have something problematic about them. There are no right or wrong answers, just better or worse answers based on well-reasoned justifications. Ethics gives us the reasoning tools to systematically work through a dilemma so that we don't have to rely solely on personal opinions or preferences.
Ethical questions arise when individuals interact within a larger community and a decision must be made about conflicting choices.
We are used to making decisions about things that only impact us as individuals -- Should I bring an umbrella today? What shall I eat for lunch? But we participate in larger communities and need to live within society in a civilized way. We do not all have the same sets of values and perspectives, so how do we make decisions together that impact many people? The field of ethics helps us address different viewpoints, consider fairness, look at harms and benefits for different groups, and weigh options in a systematic way.
Addressing health inequities is a complex process involving many stakeholder groups.
Identifying stakeholders--people or groups impacted by the outcome of a decision--helps us to address the concerns of many groups when making ethical decisions. Ethical frameworks consider health inequities that arise from long-standing social and economic disadvantages. It looks at power structures at play, and can give priority to those stakeholders who are worse off and at higher risk for a poor outcome.