Principles of Biomedical Ethics

Principles of Biomedical Ethics provides a highly original, practical, and insightful guide to morality in the health professions. Acclaimed authors Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress thoroughly develop and advocate for four principles that lie at the core of moral reasoning in health care: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Drawing from contemporary research--and integrating detailed case studies and vivid real-life examples and scenarios--they demonstrate how these prima facie principles can be expanded to apply to various conflicts and dilemmas, from how to deliver bad news to whether or not to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments. Illuminating both theory and method throughout, Principles of Biomedical Ethics considers what constitutes moral character and addresses the problem of moral status: what rights are due to people and animals, and when. It also examines the professional-patient relationship, surveys major philosophical theories--including utilitarianism, Kantianism, rights theory, and virtue theory--and describes methods of moral justification in bioethics. Ideal for courses in biomedical ethics, bioethics, and health care ethics, the text is enhanced by hundreds of annotated citations and a substantial introduction that clarifies key terms and concepts.It is accompanied by additional online resources for both instructors and students. There is no direct competitor to Principles of Biomedical Ethics. These authors helped establish the field of biomedical ethics, and in this book they set forth their original "Principles" approach to biomedical ethics, the mostly widely followed framework of principles in the field of bioethics. MESSAGE: The Classic work that shaped the field of biomedical ethics - fully updated to include cutting edge approaches and research.

About the Author :
Tom Beauchamp serves as Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar, Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. Publications include the following works: A History and Theory of Informed Consent (Oxford, 1986), The Human Use of Animals (Oxford, 2008), Philosophical Ethics (McGraw-Hill, 2001), a number of edited and coedited anthologies, and over 150 scholarly articles in journals and books. Many of his articles on biomedical ethics were collected and republished early in 2010 by the Oxford University Press under the title Standing on Principles: Collected Works. James Childress is University Professor & John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics at the University of Virginia. He has obtained a B.D. from Yale Divinity School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University. His works include Practical Reasoning in Bioethics (Indiana University Press, 1997) and Who Should Decide? Paternalism in Health Care (Oxford 1982), among others.