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Details
- Public health ethics is developing as a new sub-discipline within the broader field of bioethics
- International cast of contributors
- All papers specially written for this volume
- Integration of moral theory and application to real public health examples
- Combination of chapters offering basic overview and chapters offering systematic theoretical analysis
Public health is an important and fast-developing area of ethical discussion. In this volume a range of issues in public health ethics are explored using the resources of moral theory, political philosophy, philosophy of science, applied ethics, law, and economics.
The twelve original papers presented consider numerous ethical issues arise within public health ethics. To what extent can the public good or the public interest justify state interventions that impose limits upon the freedom of individuals? What role should the law play in regulating risks? Should governments actively aim to change our preferences about such things as food, smoking or physical exercise? What are public goods, and what role (if any) do they play in public health? To what extent do individuals have moral obligations to contribute to protecting the community or the public good? Where is it appropriate to concentrate upon prevention rather than cure? Given the fact that we cannot be protected from all harm, what sorts of harm provide a justification for public health action? What limits do we wish to place upon public health activities? How do we ensure that the interests of individuals are not set aside or forgotten in the pursuit of population benefits?
An excellent line-up of authors from North America, Europe, and the UK tackle these questions.
Readership: Students and scholars of practical ethics, especially bioethics and healthcare ethics; public health policy-makers.
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1: Angus Dawson and Marcel Verweij: Introduction: Ethics, Prevention, and Public Health
2: Marcel Verweij and Angus Dawson: The Meaning of 'Public' in 'Public Health'
3: Bruce Jennings: Public Health and Civic Republicanism: Towards an Alternative Framework for Public Health Ethics
4: Lawrence O. Gostin and Lesley Stone: Health of the People: The Highest Law?
5: Daniel Wikler and Dan W. Brock: Population-level Bioethics: Mapping a New Agenda
6: Tom Sorell: Parental Choice and Expert Knowledge in the Debate about MMR and Autism
7: Dan W. Brock: Ethical Issues in Applying Quantitative Models for Setting Priorities in Prevention
8: Mariëtte van den Hoven: Reasonable Limits to Public Health Demands
9: Jay A. Jackson, Margaret P. Battin, Jeffrey R. Botkin, Leslie Francis, James Mason, and Charles B. Smith: Vertical Transmission of Infectious Diseases and Genetic Disorder: Are the Medical and Public Responses Consistent?
10: Angus Dawson: Herd Protection as a Public Good: Vaccination and Our Obligations to Others
11: Marcel Verweij: Tobacco Discouragement: A Non-paternalistic Approach
12: Niels Nijsingh: Informed Consent and the Expansion of Newborn Screening
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Edited by Angus Dawson, Centre for Professional Ethics, Keele University, and Marcel Verweij, Ethics Institute, Utrecht University
Contributors:
Margaret P. Battin
Jeffrey R. Botkin
Angus Dawson
Leslie Francis
Lawrence O. Gostin
Mariëtte van den Hoven
Jay A. Jacobson
Bruce Jennings
James O. Mason
Niels Nijsingh
Charles B. Smith
Tom Sorell
Lesley Stone
Marcel Verweij
Daniel Wikler
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"Public health ethics is a rapidly developing area within and outside bioethics and this book attempts to fill some gaps in the literature... The contributions cover a wide range of topics, raise puzzling questions and use theoretical tools from various disciplines to argue their cases." - Roberto Andorno, Medical Health Care and Philosophy
