Personalism for public health ethics

Area of Science:

• Public Health Ethics
• Bioethics
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Utilitarian and Kantian approaches are common in bioethics and public health ethics.
• Utilitarianism's population focus aligns with public health, but it may neglect individual rights.
• Conflicts in values necessitate additional ethical frameworks for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the limitations of utilitarianism in public health ethics.
• To propose an adaptation of personalism as a more suitable ethical framework for public health.
• To introduce four core principles for a personalist approach to public health.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of ethical theories (utilitarianism, Kantianism, communitarianism, personalism).
• Examination of the core functions and population-level focus of public health.
• Development of a personalist framework tailored for public health ethics.

Main Results:

• Utilitarianism, while population-focused, inadequately protects individual human persons in value conflicts.
• Personalism provides a stronger emphasis on individual dignity and rights.
• An adapted personalist framework for public health includes principles of inviolability, subsidiarity, solidarity, and justice.

Conclusions:

• Personalism offers a robust ethical foundation for public health, balancing population needs with individual rights.
• The proposed four principles provide practical guidance for ethical public health practice.
• Adopting a personalist approach ensures greater respect for human life and non-discrimination.