The ethics of compassion

The Georgetown Mantra of Bioethics, which includes the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, has largely been regarded as the mainstay of ethical principles in the healthcare setting. Moral or ethical decisions have been discussed using this framework. The purpose of this article is to argue that the ethics of compassion is a critical principle in making clinical decisions, especially in the case of the chronically ill patient. This suggests that the ethics of compassion may serve as an important adjunct to the Georgetown Mantra.