2.2 Deontological ethics and duty-based approaches

Deontological ethics in biotech focuses on moral rules and duties, not just outcomes. It emphasizes respect for autonomy, informed consent, and protecting human dignity. These principles guide decision-making in research and applications, ensuring ethical practices.

However, deontological approaches can conflict with scientific progress and commercial interests. Balancing ethical duties with innovation is challenging. Rule-based frameworks provide clear guidelines but may struggle with complex, novel dilemmas in biotech, necessitating additional ethical approaches.

Deontological Ethics and Duty-Based Approaches

Deontological principles in biotech ethics

Top images from around the web for Deontological principles in biotech ethics

• 

  Frontiers | Improving Informed Consent for Novel Vaccine Research in a Pediatric Hospital ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Principlism and Personalism. Comparing Two Ethical Models Applied Clinically in ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Improving Informed Consent for Novel Vaccine Research in a Pediatric Hospital ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Principlism and Personalism. Comparing Two Ethical Models Applied Clinically in ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

Top images from around the web for Deontological principles in biotech ethics

• 

  Frontiers | Improving Informed Consent for Novel Vaccine Research in a Pediatric Hospital ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Principlism and Personalism. Comparing Two Ethical Models Applied Clinically in ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Improving Informed Consent for Novel Vaccine Research in a Pediatric Hospital ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | Principlism and Personalism. Comparing Two Ethical Models Applied Clinically in ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

• Deontological principles determine the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions based on moral rules or duties rather than consequences
  • Respect for autonomy acknowledges an individual's right to make decisions about their own life and body (medical treatment, research participation)
  • Informed consent provides comprehensive information about risks, benefits, and procedures to enable autonomous decision-making (clinical trials, medical procedures)
• Biotech professionals have an ethical obligation to uphold deontological principles in their work
  • Ensure research participants and patients are fully informed and can make voluntary decisions
  • Protect the rights and dignity of individuals involved in biotech research and applications (human subjects, vulnerable populations)

Moral duties in biotechnology research

• Moral duties are obligations individuals have based on ethical principles or rules
  • Deontological ethics emphasizes the importance of fulfilling moral duties regardless of consequences (telling the truth, keeping promises)
• In biotechnology, moral duties guide decision-making to ensure research and applications are ethically sound
  • Respect human life and dignity (embryonic stem cell research, gene editing)
  • Minimize harm and maximize benefits to research participants and society (clinical trials, drug development)
  • Ensure fair and equitable treatment of all individuals involved in research (participant selection, access to treatments)
• Research involving human subjects raises specific moral duties for biotech professionals
  • Protect the well-being and rights of research participants (informed consent, minimizing risks)
  • Maintain participant confidentiality and privacy (data protection, anonymization)
  • Conduct research with scientific integrity and transparency (reporting results, disclosing conflicts of interest)

Conflicts and Limitations of Deontological Approaches

Deontology vs scientific progress

• Deontological principles may sometimes conflict with the goals of scientific advancement or commercial success
  • Respect for autonomy and informed consent can slow down research timelines and increase costs (extended participant recruitment, additional safety measures)
  • Strict adherence to moral duties may limit the scope of research or the development of potentially beneficial products (restrictions on animal testing, embryonic stem cell research)
• Balancing deontological principles with the pursuit of scientific progress requires careful consideration
  • Ensure research is conducted ethically while still allowing for innovation and discovery
  • Prioritize the rights and well-being of individuals over purely scientific or commercial interests
• Commercial pressures in the biotech industry may tempt companies to compromise deontological principles
  • Rush clinical trials or downplay risks to bring products to market faster
  • Exploit vulnerable populations or use unethical research practices to gain a competitive edge (placebo trials in developing countries, lack of post-trial access to treatments)
• Biotech professionals must navigate these conflicts and maintain their commitment to ethical principles

Rule-based ethics for biotech dilemmas

• Rule-based ethical frameworks, such as deontology, provide clear guidelines for decision-making
  • Emphasis on moral duties and universal principles can help ensure consistent and impartial ethical reasoning
  • Provides a foundation for establishing professional codes of conduct and regulations in the biotech industry (Declaration of Helsinki, Belmont Report)
• However, rule-based frameworks may have limitations in addressing complex and novel ethical dilemmas
  • Rigid adherence to rules may not always lead to the most ethically appropriate outcomes in specific situations (breaking confidentiality to prevent harm, using unapproved treatments in emergencies)
  • Novel technologies and applications in biotechnology may present ethical challenges that existing rules do not adequately address (gene drives, human-animal chimeras)
  • Rule-based frameworks may struggle to accommodate competing moral duties or principles in complex scenarios (patient autonomy vs public health, individual rights vs societal benefits)
• Addressing complex ethical dilemmas in biotechnology may require additional ethical approaches
  1. Consequentialist considerations: weigh the potential benefits and harms of different courses of action
  2. Virtue ethics: emphasize the importance of moral character and professional integrity in decision-making
  3. Casuistry: draw on past cases and analogical reasoning to navigate novel ethical challenges
• A comprehensive ethical framework for biotechnology should combine rule-based principles with other approaches to ensure robust and adaptable decision-making