Ethics & Bioethics
Danielle Nicholson
Outreach Officer
REMEDIRegenerative
Medicine Institute
NUI Galway
What is ethics?
• Ethics = morality
• Morality is a unique feature of humans
-Influenced by cultural factors- i.e. history,
traditions, education, religion, etc
-But we share some universal
experiences of duty- i.e. tell the truth, do
not harm others, do not steal, etc
• Goal –To intellectually analyze the human
dimension in all of its complexity
Decision making and ethics:
‘Ethical reasoning’
1. Fact deliberation
2. Value deliberation
3. Duty deliberation
4. Testing consistency
5. Conclusion
Bioethics- the bridge between
facts and values
• During the second half of the 20th
century, knowledge and technical power
in biological sciences had been
increasing continuously but reflection
about the values at stake had not
progressed in the same proportion.
UNESCO’s 15 Bioethical principles
Human
dignity &
human
rights
Benefit &
harm
AutonomyConsent
individual
responsibility
Persons
without the
capacity to
consent
Human
Privacy /
Equality,
vulnerability Confidenti- Justice,
& personal ality
Equity
integrity
NonRespect
discrimination for cultural
diversity
Solidarity & Social
Sharing of
cooperation responsibility benefits
& health
Protecting
future
generations
Protecting
biodiversity,
biosphere &
environment
Ethics Committees
• Conflicts often arise when people are
entitled to decide and take part in
decision-making processes
• Conflicts are more frequent as respect
for human freedom and moral diversity
increases
• Collective deliberation- the main
purpose of ethics committees
Advice for collective deliberation…
• Don’t fear the
‘slippery slope’
• Strive to make
decisions that will
protect future
generations
• Consider various
perspectives
• Be brave!
Thank you for your attention!