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Related Experiment Videos

Can the four principles help in genetic screening decision-making?

Pierre Mallia1, Henk ten Have

  • 1Fac. Medicine and Surgeons, University of Malta.

Health Care Analysis : HCA : Journal of Health Philosophy and Policy
|October 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary

The four-principles approach in bioethics struggles to resolve dilemmas in genetic screening and testing. Fundamental moral disagreements on issues like embryo status prevent consensus, even with specific case analysis.

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Genetics
  • Moral Philosophy

Background:

  • The four-principles approach is a common framework for resolving ethical dilemmas in bioethics.
  • Case-specific dilemmas can sometimes be resolved through detailed specification within this framework.
  • However, fundamental moral disagreements can impede resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the applicability of the four-principles approach to resolving ethical dilemmas in genetic screening and testing.
  • To explore potential areas of agreement in genetics, such as embryo status, to facilitate ethical consensus.
  • To determine if specification alone can overcome higher-order moral disagreements.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the limitations of the four-principles approach in the context of genetic screening and testing.
Keywords:
Genetics and Reproduction

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  • Exploration of the role of higher-order principles (e.g., embryo status, parental rights) in ethical disagreements.
  • Examination of the potential for specification to resolve, or fail to resolve, complex ethical issues.

    • Main Results:

    • Genetic screening and testing present unique challenges due to deep moral disagreements on fundamental principles.
    • Specification of cases cannot resolve these higher-order moral disagreements without introducing relativism.
    • Efforts to confer status to embryos for preventing genetic selection face legal and ethical extrapolation challenges.

    Conclusions:

    • The four-principles approach, while useful for discussion, is insufficient on its own to resolve ethical issues in genetic screening and testing.
    • Resolution requires agreement on higher-order moral principles, which is not currently feasible.
    • Future progress necessitates addressing these foundational ethical disagreements.