Ethical Issues In Public Health

“As scientists, we are driven to make decisions based on our findings. As public health professionals, we are obligated to protect the interest of our health.” – Dr. Adrienne Katner. Following Dr. Scharf’s lecture on ethic essentials and Dr. Katner’s first-hand experience with fighting the good fight, I spent the remainder of the day fixated not on the issues discussed in class, but those that weren’t. I couldn’t help but think about all of the unaddressed public health concerns that plague our world. Many will go unaddressed simply because of their geographical location while others will suffer at the hands of stakeholders who have far too much invested to come forth with the truth. In the instances of St. Joseph, Louisiana and Flint, Michigan,
Jeremy Bentham, an 18th century English philosopher and social reformer, founded the very ideology of utilitarianism. As previously mentioned, it can be identified as maximizing happiness over pain. This theory had such a profound effect on the field of ethics that it has transcended to many other fields. It is said that its core is seen today in most of our policies and laws; it is engrained in our nature to promote happiness or widely shared morals. In the end, the ethical dilemma of life—or conflicting moral question—lies within what society believes to be lead to happiness and what will result in pain.
Taking ethical dilemmas into consideration, as public health professionals we ought to know that there will come a time where our own personal views will be tested by external forces. Such as Dr. Katner’s experience with the water contamination in St. Joseph, we will have to choose between following orders and accepting the outcome or fighting for what is right. From personal experience, I can attest that some of the toughest moral decisions come from the most heart-wrenching
This is where the ethical dilemma is most apparent. We only have the best interest for these children, but, at the end of the day, we cannot trump the desires of the parent. Thus, to remedy the situation, we refocus our attention on the educators and child care coordinators through professional development. We aim to make our partners more aware and skilled to care for children with special needs. While small accommodations in and out of the classroom may not completely solve the issue, it is a progressive step towards assuring that the child has the best quality of life