Public Health EthicsPolity, 2007 M09 17 - 222 pages How far should we go in protecting and promoting public health? Can we force people to give up unhealthy habits and make healthier choices, or does everyone have the right to decide their own lifestyle? Should we stop treating smokers who refuse to give up smoking? Should we put a tax on fatty foods and ban vending machines in schools to address the obesity epidemic? Should parents be required to have their children vaccinated? Are some of our screening programmes unethical Downs syndrome screening, for example or should we be screening people for more conditions, such as Huntington disease? Such questions are at the heart of public health ethics. Holland shows that to understand and debate these issues requires philosophy: moral philosophies, such as utilitarianism and deontology, as well as political philosophies such as liberalism and communitarianism. And philosophy informs other aspects of public health, such as epidemiology and health promotion. The aim of this book is to provide a lively, accessible and philosophically informed introduction to such issues. It is an ideal textbook for students taking courses in public health ethics. And since this book develops systematic discussions of issues in public health ethics, there is also much here to engage and challenge the more advanced reader. |
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absence of disease action antenatal screening arguably argument autism autonomy Beauchamp behaviour modification benefit bioethics biomedical causation Chapter communitarianism conception of health condition consequentialist Coughlin Cribb debate deontology dilemma discussed disorders dissent distinction Down’s syndrome duty effective freedom epidemiology ethical issues evaluative example frameworks free-riding genetic screening Gostin grounds harm principle health behaviours health gain health promotion health screening herd immunity idea important individual infect Journal justified Kantian kinds liberal objection liberty lifestyle mass immunization programmes maxim means medical ethics Medicine moral theory naïve utilitarian nature of health negative Nonetheless one’s patient person perspective political philosophy population practice problem public health ethics public health interventions question refusing rejoinders relevant risk screening programmes sin taxing smoking social someone specific theoretical thing third party harms tion treatment true positives universalizability vaccination value-laden values virtue ethics Weed well-being