Ethics, Prevention, And Public Health

Description:
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.

Review:
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 The book is very well structured...Personally, the book has enabled me to get a better grip on an issue that I have had in the back of my mind for some years...this book does not provide ready-made answers for public health practitioners stumbling over ethical issues. Rather, it forces readers to reflect on these issues, deepen their understanding and arrive at conclusions that should be discussed with others. Reiner Banken, Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: Ethics, Prevention, and Public Health; 2. The Meaning of 'Public' in 'Public Health'; 3. Public Health and Civic Republicanism: Towards an Alternative Framework for Public Health Ethics; 4. Health of the People: The Highest Law?; 5. Population-level Bioethics: Mapping a New Agenda; 6. Parental Choice and Expert Knowledge in the Debate about MMR and Autism; 7. Ethical Issues in Applying Quantitative Models for Setting Priorities in Prevention; 8. Reasonable Limits to Public Health Demands; 9. Vertical Transmission of Infectious Diseases and Genetic Disorder: Are the Medical and Public Responses Consistent?; 10. Herd Protection as a Public Good: Vaccination and Our Obligations to Others; 11. Tobacco Discouragement: A Non-paternalistic Approach; 12. Informed Consent and the Expansion of Newborn Screening