Ethics in Different Aspects

By Luis Antonio Carrillo Aguilar & Brenda Guillaumin Álvarez 2L

Bioethics

History

It is commonly said that bioethics origins are placed in the year of 500 B.C. with the Hippocratic Oath. However, we can also consider the Hammurabi's Code from 1750 B.C. as the real begin of bioethics owing to all the information it contains about medical practice.

Both were created in order to solve and have an answer to certain moral questions, these two are focused in doing the best for medicine and people.

Hippocrates was the first one to separate medicine from religion, witchcraft, philosophy, magic, among others, this with the aim of doing from medicine a completely independent and self-sufficient discipline. Being as well the one who confront against the ideas which established that illnesses were provoked by celestial beings and demons. The oath makes new residents to swear, in few words, to act in an ethic and proper way, help patients invariably and always be conscious and take into account every word is written in the text when doing their labour.

Definition

In words of Cambridge University on its online dictionary, bioethics is defined as, 'The study of what is right and wrong in new discoveries and techniques in biology, such as genetic engineering and the transplantation of organs'.

Principles

There are four of them in bioethics:

Respect for autonomy, it refers to the respect and consideration of someone's decision taking, enabling people to make conscious choices with the given information at any situation.
Beneficence, talks about the importance of the benefits, risks and costs it can take any treatment or medical process, though medicals must act undoubtedly in benefit of the patient.

Non-maleficence, establishes that healthcare professionals have strictly forbidden to make damage or harm a person, every treatment has its own minimal harm, but it must not be unequal to the treatment benefits.
Justice, benefits, risks and costs must be distributed on a fair and correct way, in other words, patients must be treated equally.

Legality in Mexico

Mexican government created the NCB (National Commission of Bioethics) with the purpose of assuring the medical authorities to adopt an ethical way of behaving according to the ethical code of the same, it has also made several agreements about, integrity, conflict avoidance, disposal and general application. In the same way, the NCB proclaimed that every medicine resident must pass along the process it entails the Hippocratic oath or in Mexico known as 'Declaración de Ginebra'.

Legality in the world

In The United States and many countries in Europe, when the pupils are about getting their degree (in medicine), they have to say the Hippocratic oath besides obeying it during this duty for making the best for people and for doing their bests, otherwise they will not be able of receiving their title.

Is it an ethical problem?

Besides having 'ethics' in its spelling, this theme needs to be respected and obeyed because it is the form for medical staff to confirm they will be loyal, good and servicial with the fellow. However, there are some healthcare professionals who harm, lie and steal by taking advantage from others.

Example #1

A guy who was driving in the highway had an accident and crashes with the barrier, after being rescued and took out of the car, paramedics noticed that he has serious injuries in all his extremities and neck besides he was unconscious. Later on at the hospital, his family was informed of the sinister and arrived immediately whilst the doctor determined he was in a coma, time passed and he did not wake up, so the doctor asked his family for a decision owing to his results were not as good as expected, at this point he is on a critical condition and his chances of being alive for one more month are not very high, they have to choose between paying a considerable amount of money or to disconnect him in order to stop his suffering.

Example #2

In a scholar trip a girl fall down from the stairs and got injured her left arm, the teacher took as soon as possible to the medical clinic. There, the doctor diagnostic an operation due to he noticed a strange form in her bone, then other doctor checked the situation and contradicts the analysis of the previous one and affirms she will need some rest and immobilization for recovering the movement. Thanks to the two totally different points of view, they decide to go for a third revision, this third medical confirms the second analysis and recommends the same things as him. Finally, the teacher decides to denounce the first doctor because of his wrong opinion.

Example #3

An old man has been in bed for a long time, he is ill, exhausted and depressed, he says he would prefer to die and finish with this hell, his daughter comment the situation to a doctor, she takes him home and help her father to fulfill the paper he needs to give for proceeding with the treatment. The sir is conscious and aware of this decision and everything is ready to continue, the doctor prepares the substance and explains the man how to inject it by himself, after few minutes he was finally resting.

Global Warming

History

Humans are conscious of their ability to modify climate by putting water in deserts, using camps for industrial issues and chopping trees down since the Ancient Greeks Era, who proposed this idea.

In the earliest 1800's decade, some experiments detonated the possibility that all the gases produced by humans could be accumulated in the atmosphere and make Earth get into an insulation state in which this would be more hot. In 1930's people started believing in climate effects due to the 'Dust Bowl', it appeared in The United States and before this event, it was thought that agricultural activities were able to increase rainfalls. In spite the fact that scientists had an incorrect idea about climate change, in the last years of the 1950's, the discovered information from CO2 lectures managed to confirm the global warming theory, by the same, it was a reality and scientific community was concerned about all the consequences it would bring.

Definition

Global warming is defined as the constant temperature raise all around the world provoked by gases, (between the most popular, carbon dioxide), the ones that remain in the air and do not let heat to go out of the Earth and be ejected to the space.

Effects

There are several effects, though we will mention the ones of major importance and relevance of the last times.

Heat waves and droughts: It refers to the sudden increase of temperature, to its intensification and prolongation, it is estimated that events which happens commonly once each 20 years, it will occur every two or three years.
Increase of sea level: It is caused due to the added water from the melted poles and sea expansion because of heat. NASA has predicted that if continuing like this, sea level will reach from 1 to 8 feet for the year 2100.
Arctic likely to become a Zero-Ice zone: Scientists' expectation are not very promising, according to them, Arctic Ocean will be free of ice before 2050.

Legality in Mexico

Mexican authorities created SEMARNAT, (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) a subsidiary that informs and guide people about global warming, climate change and environment issues on the country. This organization does not impose any punishment nor legal process owing to it has not proclaimed laws of any kind. Nevertheless, people who do littering are supposed to pay a fine and in some cases communitary service.

Legality in the world

The main world organization with the aim of preventing a human dangerous interference for global warming is the UN (United Nations), thanks to it, two protocols were formed, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.

Kyoto Protocol was started in 1997 and more than 80 countries signed in favour, this oblige developed nations to accomplish some goals in reducing their emissions on a legal way. Nowadays, 192 countries are part of this.

Paris agreement is the first in assemble all nations with the purpose of fighting against global warming by intensifying and pressuring the actions and monetary inversions for a sustainable future and reduce the effects of it.

Is it an ethical problem?

Of course it is because as humans, we start questioning every single action we usually make in our daily live, we are constantly more and more concern about our actions and the damage we could let behind us.

Example #1

One of the countries of the Kyoto Protocol does not accomplish with the accorded terms of reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide, so it goes to an international trial and it is determined as guilty, the process dictamines that it must reduce even more emissions and pay a fine in order to guarantee its commitment.

Example #2

A person is doubting if taking the decision of becoming vegan or not because eating meet and/or animal products contributes to the increasing of gasses that farm animals produce such as methane, that are the responsible of causing in some part the greenhouse effect on Earth.

Example #3

After investigating the poles melt, the NASA makes an urgent report because their analysis confirms an alteration in the precipitations and hurricanes season around the American Continent, it also has expressed that it is completely necessary to take serious actions against climate change and affirms that countries most reduce their carbon dioxide emissions as soon as possible, all this because it has been confirmed that in a certain point global warming will not be reversible.

Animal Rights

History

It is not certainly known who really started with this movement, but of the most recognized people we find Peter Singer, Ruth Harrison and Richard Ryder, they three made of this a reality and a serious theme nowadays. Ryder contribution was the creation of the term 'Speciesism' in 1970's decade to describe in few words that humans are the dominant specie and despise animals. Five years later, Singer promoted animal liberation, which was specially relevant and listened though he did not forget to give some credit to Harrison, whose book 'Animals Machines' gave him several ideas.

Definition

Animals must be treated in a proper way, what this wants to express is that they must no be used for testing experiments, being hunted or mistreated. They must be free, live in their natural habitats and protected.

Which rights does animals have?

The right to live as much as possible according to their natures and to express their individual characters.
The right to live in a sustainable habit.
The right to cooperatively share the Earth with other species.
The right to not be exploited.
The right to be treated with respect.
The right to be valued for who they are and not for how they can be used.
The right to physical, ecological and emotional health.

Legality in Mexico and the World

Mexican Government proclaimed on October of 2019, the Universal Declaration of the Animal Rights, this declaration was firstly adopted by the Animal Rights International League in 1977. A time later the UN and the UNESCO approved it giving it more power and credibility. In this declaration are 14 articles with their own subsections.

Is it an ethical problem?

Obviously it is an ethical problem, since as humans and dominant specie, it is our obligation to take care of them and safeguarding their integrity by guaranteeing them a good lifestyle quality as every living being deserve.

Example #1

A woman found a circus in Mexico in which there are used exploited animals for their performance, as soon as she noticed this situation, she decides to raise a lawsuit against them, so this action could be punished. Authorities forced its closing, the responsible were took to trial and the animals were took to a safe place.

Example #2

A new line of make up in Spain is about to start with a laboratory in which animals will be used for testing their products in hares and mice, so animal protection arrived the installations in order to verify the way they work, after a whole revision it was determined that animals were on unfavourable conditions and their physical state was really worrying, due to that the make up line was obliged to pay a fine and close that laboratory while on the other hand animals were rescued and got recovered.

Example #3

A group of Brazilians went inside the Amazonas rainforest with the purpose of taking with them several animals like snakes, birds and some amphibians to sell them in the black market, after some hours of capturing animals they went out but the police was already waiting for them because a villager noticed they entered with the equipment they brought (cages, ropes, bags, etc). Animals were took back to the rainforest and the people went to prision.

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