Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Respect for Autonomy and Nonmaleficence. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay that defines and compares these two bioethical ideals. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khautmal.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
city-states, but over the millennia this concept has been extended to individuals, and is understood to refer to issues that refer to personal governance and the liberty and rights of
individual adult to determine his or her behavior and destiny (Beauchamp and Childress 57-58). Therefore, an autonomous person is one who "acts freely in accordance with a self-chosen plan" (Beauchamp
and Childress 58). This definition is contingent on the person having both freedom, that is, the absence of controlling outside influences, and also agency, which is the "capacity for intentional
action," to be said to possess autonomy (Beauchamp and Childress 58). In other words, some categories of people have diminished capacity for autonomy, as they may be minors, or incarcerated
or have limitations regarding cognitive functioning. A person with diminished autonomy is in some manner controlled by others and, therefore, prevented in some fashion from acting on the basis of
purely their own plans and desires (Beauchamp and Childress 58). Respect for patient autonomy is a principle that is typically included in the codes of ethics developed by professional
health care professions, such as the Code of Ethics for the American Nursing Association. However, this principle is not as clear-cut as it first appear. For example, Carl Schneider has
argued that a strict interpretation of respect for autonomy prioritizes what patients "should want" over what they actually want (Beauchamp and Childress 61). For example, some patients may not wish
to receive extensive information about their condition or make their own medical decisions. After examining empirical data on this topic Schneider concludes that while most patients want to know such
information, there are also patients, particularly the elderly and the very ill, who "do not want to make their own medical decisions, or perhaps even to participate in those decisions
...