Abstract
This article asks the difficult questions- what is public health? and what is public health ethics? The article also recognizes that even though public health and biomedical ethics overlap, they have distinct aspects. The article examines the unique population-based perspective of public health and how it can be distinguished from patientcentered biomedical ethics. Additionally, public health scholars and practitioners often use ethical analyses with other forms of reasoning, particularly law and human rights. The article, therefore, explores the relationship among public health ethics, public health law and human rights. The various meanings of each form of reasoning are discussed, as well as the similarities and differences among them. The article concludes with a proposal for reconciling the inherent tradeoffs between public health and civil liberties. Prior to exercising compulsory powers, public health officials should examine the risk to the public; the likelihood that the intervention will be effective; the opportunity costs; the burdens on human rights and the policy's fairness.
Highlights
This article asks the difficult questions— what is public health? and what is public health ethics? The article recognizes that even though public health and biomedical ethics overlap, they have distinct aspects
In thinking about the application of ethical thought to problems in public health, it is important first to understand what we mean by public health
Professional ethics are concerned with the ethical dimensions of professionalism and the moral trust that society bestows on public health professionals to act for the common welfare
Summary
In thinking about the application of ethical thought to problems in public health, it is important first to understand what we mean by public health. People cannot achieve environmental protection, hygiene and sanitation, clean air and surface water, uncontaminated food and drinking water, safe roads and products, and control of infectious disease Each of these collective goods, and many more, are achievable only through organized and sustained community activities[9]. The field is interested in “social capital” because social networks of family and friends, as well as associations with religious and civic organizations, are important factors in public health[13,14]. This inclusive direction for public health is gaining popularity; many governments seek reductions in health disparities and improved social cohesiveness. As a group of prominent ethicists put it, “Justice is Good for Our Health”(19) because fair and compassionate societies tend to produce better health outcomes among their citizens
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