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Are Bioethical Issues Life-Threatening?

  • codeofcures
  • Aug 14
  • 9 min read

Updated: Aug 31

Ethics limit scientific advancements. Should we disregard them for the purpose of a greater yield?

By Crystal Kong and Chloe Cherng



Bioethics is a multidisciplinary study of ethical, social, and legal issues that arise in medical and biological research. It addresses the ethical issues that emerge due to advancements in health-related sciences. Inevitably, it extends beyond the realm of health-related sciences, intersecting with fields like law and education. Contrary to common misconception, ethical considerations are not just the responsibility of experts; they have profound implications for society as a whole, and thus concerns everyone. 


“Within the societal systems that many scientific enterprises operate, the forces of capitalism and competition – especially those driven by economic and political forces for private profit – exist in tension with the values that bioethics strives to address in biomedical research, such as respect for autonomy, beneficence and privacy,” says Misti Ault Anderson, Program Director of The Greenwall Foundation and expert in bioethics, science policy and education, and human research protections. (Anderson, 2016) For the future of bioethics, there is a necessity of finding balance between innovation and scientific integrity. Here’s how ethical implications affect different fields of science and their purposes.


Scientific Researchers

Ethics in scientific research is crucial for scientists when conducting research, as it ensures that scientific advancements are achieved with respect for moral obligations, including respect for human dignity, animal welfare, and societal values. Key ethical guidelines include honesty, objectivity, transparency, respect for intellectual property, confidentiality, and protections for human and animal subjects (Resnik, 2020). These considerations are integrated and are highly prioritized throughout the entire research process–from brainstorming and planning to data collection and reporting. By adhering to these ethical principles, researchers are able to produce publications or discoveries that are reliable and trusted. 


Ethical considerations greatly shape how biomedical research operates. Though ethical principles help guide research, they can also pose obstacles in the pursuit of greater scientific discovery. For example, the use of Artificial Intelligence systems has greatly advanced the world, but concerns over privacy, bias, and data misuse cause debate over the continued exploration of this technology. Other examples include introducing invasive species for a study, developing treatments using human subjects versus utilizing model organisms, and balancing CRISPR’s ability to cure genetic diseases with the ethical concerns of its potential for off-target genome editing effects.


To add on, many factors can diminish the emphasis on following ethics due to economic, profitability, and social factors. Anderson says that the forces of capitalism and competition often create tensions with bioethical values such as autonomy, beneficence, and privacy (Anderson, 2016). For instance, profit motives may influence less transparency in a research article and a deterring focus in solving scientific questions deemed as “too difficult” or not “impactful enough” for the majority population. This can cause skewed or inaccurate results. In addition, it can cause research related to rare diseases or small groups of people to be neglected or understudied–in contrast to other topics that garner a greater return and appeal to the public. In other words, competitive pressures might encourage cutting ethical corners or limiting transparency in research.


High School Researchers 

Engaging in scientific research at the high school level is an exciting opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and an appreciation for the scientific process. However, even at this stage, adhering to ethical principles is essential. Pursuing research as a doctorate with their own lab is extremely limiting, as expenses and unethical classifications create restrictions to many research projects. Moreover, pursuing research as a high school student is even more restrictive. This challenge persists as many students are working in a lab at their high school building that has to follow numerous safety protocols to protect their large student body. In other words, not only are they adhering to basic ethical protocols as a scientist, they have the additional responsibility of following school regulations established by their school or the Department of Education. 


Unique ethical considerations a high school researcher follows are:

  • Mentorship: High school students must work closely under the guidance of a teacher, mentor, or experienced scientist to obtain valuable support to design and perform experiments ethically. In high school, students are at a learning stage where they need an expert to help guide them. Without a supervisor, they become vulnerable to breaching ethical protocols or safety guidelines. However, many high schools lack teachers with this knowledge in research, making it a challenge for students to have access to ethical research opportunities.

  • Resources: High schools often lack the resources to successfully conduct research. Access to certain chemicals, biological organisms, or genetic materials may be restricted by age or institutional policies marked by the DOE. This limitation creates an obstacle that requires students to design projects that are both feasible and safe within a school environment.


Ultimately, these principles limit a student’s ability to conduct research. Students can create brilliant ideas; however actually conducting experiments to justify their claims is extremely difficult to execute. In many cases, it commonly results in a revised methodology that produces weaker evidence or the complete abandonment of the project in itself.


To learn more about ethical considerations and the best practices for student-led research involving human subjects, check out this article on the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct of Behavioral Projects Involving Human Participants by High School Students!


Physicians

In everyday practice, physicians face numerous ethical concerns ranging from severe life-and-death decisions to less dramatic, but equally important dilemmas that impact a patient’s overall health care experience. For one, there is an issue with the mental capacity of patients giving consent and the urgency in decision-making. Balancing a patient’s autonomy conflicts with beneficence, the physician’s duty to act in the patient’s best interest. Complicating matters, they face a dilemma between disclosing the whole truth about diagnoses and protecting the patient from unnecessary distress. Moreover, due to the intense nature of the environment, many physicians face burnout, which creates a conflict between seeking their own help and maintaining their obligations to provide the best care. Not only this, but physicians must provide unbiased care that also respects the cultural diversity of their patients. 


An ethical dilemma from “Medscape 2012 Survey Results” discusses whether physician-assisted suicides should be allowed in some situations. The results include 47% of the surveyed physicians answering yes, 40% answering no, and 13% answering it depends. A participant who answered “Yes” stated, “Patients with a terminal illness lying in misery without cure should be allowed to control their fate instead of suffering through 3 months with hospice attempting to control symptoms,” while a participant who answered “No” replied, “The proper term is physician-assisted homicide.” As demonstrated, due to the vast diversity of the medical field, conflicting opinions on ethical issues persist. Inevitably, healthcare professionals have come to the acceptance that with providing the best patient care, trade offs will always exist. 


Psychiatrists

As doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions, psychiatrists face a range of ethical issues that stem from the complexities relating to their daily tasks. Inevitably, they’re faced with conflicts in respecting the pillars of ethics due to the pressure of keeping pace with global advancements. Psychiatric researchers are persistently exploring a range of therapeutic approaches to address the needs of patients. With this ongoing investigation, ethical issues arise: ensuring the patients provide informed consent, methods used do not provide harm to the patients, and judicious information about the therapies are provided. 


The topic of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which involves prescribing a legal dosage of medication to patients to end their own life, has been debated around the world. This is distinct from euthanasia, which is a physician actively ending a patient’s life at the expense of the patient’s request. PAS is legal in some places, while euthanasia is restricted globally. Some argue that respecting patient autonomy includes honoring their choice to end suffering, while others state this undermines the principle of nonmaleficence. According to the American College of Physicians (ACP), legalizing PAS would not only undermine the patient-physician relationship but it could also erode trust in the medical profession. The principle of nonmaleficence would be compromised, and respecting patient autonomy must be balanced with the other principles. 


Surgeons

Surgeons hold a unique position in medical ethics as their decisions can profoundly alter the course of a patient’s life. Their responsibility extends beyond technical expertise, requiring them to balance the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, and patient autonomy while navigating high-pressure situations and life-altering choices during surgery. Given the weight of their decisions, it is essential that surgeons possess a deep understanding of medical ethics to ensure that their actions consistently align with the best interests of their patients and the hospital.


Surgeons often face the immense responsibility of deciding what the best course of action in intense, quickly-changing, and stressful scenarios on the operating table. They have to weigh the values and priorities of their patients to determine their next actions. For example, a surgeon may need to decide to reconnect a cut nerve of an athlete’s finger, preserving their patient’s potential during their peak performance, or not follow through with surgery due to the risk of permanent nerve damage. Although these choices are mainly influenced by a conscious patient, the surgeon has the capabilities and expertise to provide a medical perspective and make last-minute decisions while the patient is unconscious or under anesthesia.


Surgeons also face ethical dilemmas when prioritizing patients for surgery, particularly in resource-limited settings or during crises. For instance, a surgeon may be faced with the harrowing decision of choosing between two critically ill patients when no additional staff or surgeons are available. This forces them to prioritize one patient over another, potentially leading to the deterioration or death of the patient who must wait. This brings attention to the importance of having greater funding for medical or healthcare institutes to provide equitable and abundant resources. 


Pharmacists

Pharmacists face ethical dilemmas due to their position as the most accessible providers of clinical advice and medication. They’re faced with conflicting responsibilities between patient care, professional standards, legal obligations, and ethical guidelines. They bridge the gap between patients and the complexities of the healthcare system, and thus face situations in which the multiple priorities do not align. They must balance their responsibilities of providing unbiased, professional care with external pressures, such as in terms of insurance and patient demands. As a result, the role of a pharmacist is not just administering medicine, but also having critical thinking and moral judgment to maneuver through elaborate patient care. 


With a priority in providing effective patient care, pharmacists often face situations where patients need medication but lack insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket. Pharmacists must decide between following set policies or go beyond in order to ensure patients receive the care they need. Though they don’t necessarily have to break guidelines. There are programs from pharmaceutical companies, the government, and other organizations that patients can be directed to to hopefully receive the help they need. 


Some other examples include:

  • Dispensing medication to children, as they worried about possible misuse of medication by the child, but did not want the patient to be left without medication. 

  • Dispensing prescribed medication to pregnant women as they had to weigh the benefits for the mother versus the potential risks to the unborn child. 

  • Fulfilling patients’ requests for medication without a valid prescription, in which pharmacists thus had to balance necessity and risks of dispensing. 


Conclusion

Bioethics offers a holistic approach to addressing ethical dilemmas that not only affect individuals but also communities and societal values. It encompasses a comprehensive view of diverse perspectives that help foster equity and compassion. Without bioethics, the overall well-being of society would decline, as it plays a crucial role in guiding moral decision-making that affects the lives of all. 


Removing medical ethics would reshape society in drastic ways. Some can argue that without these guidelines, the medical field would advance significantly: healthcare professionals could act quicker in decision-making, advancements would occur at a tremendous rate, and expenses would be cut. However, the risks that would arise far outweigh the positives. First, public trust in medicine would decline as vulnerable populations would be exploited (e.g., subject to harmful procedures and experiments) as consent and proper documentation would not be required. Secondly, dangerous experiments would be conducted and loosely regulated. It would leave room for researchers to ignore safety protocols that are mandatory to protect subjects and the environment–potentially doing more harm than good. Lastly, healthcare decisions could be driven by profit or politics instead of for the purpose of a patient’s well-being. Rather than prioritizing adequate medical care for all, services would be provided to individuals based on personal or economical biases.


In all, a lack of medical ethics would result in abuse and deterioration of medicinal foundations, and most importantly, the insurance of patients' wellbeing. These ethics help guard the public's trust, foster responsible research and innovation, and provide equitable and quality care for all.



Works Cited 

Anderson, M. A. (n.d.). Pedagogical support for responsible conduct of research training.

Esmalipour, R., Larijani, B., Mehrdad, N., Ebadi, A., & Salari, P. (2021, December). The

ethical challenges in pharmacy practice in community pharmacies: A qualitative study. Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8720823/

Physicians’ Top Ethical Dilemmas: Medscape 2012 Survey Results. Physicians’ Top

Resnik, D. (n.d.). What is ethics in research and why is it important?. National Institute

Roberts, L. W., & Termuehlen, G. (n.d.). Special report: Ethical decision-making in

contemporary psychiatric practice—an evolving challenge | psychiatric news. Psychiatry Online. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.1.22

Sulmasy, L. S., & Mueller, P. (n.d.). Ethics and the legalization of physician-assisted

Tornini, V. A., Peregalli Politi, S., Bruce, L., & Latham, S. R. (2023, April 1). Maximizing

biomedical research impacts through bioethical considerations. Disease models & mechanisms. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10163322/ 


 
 
 

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