Introduction to ethical principles

- Autonomy is the right for an individual to make his or her own choice. In respecting autonomy, we must also help individuals make reasoned and informed choices.
- Beneficence is acting with the best interest of the other in mind. It involves the balancing of the costs and benefits of a particular course of action.
- Non-maleficence is, as Hippocrates instructed, to “above all, do no harm.” Most interventions will involve some degree of harm, but this must not be disproportionate to their benefits.
- Justice is a concept that emphasizes fairness and equality, such that patients in similar situations should be treated similarly, and in a broader sense, that benefits and costs are fairly distributed across a population.
The Genomics Era: the Future of Genetics in Medicine

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