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KMID : 1025620160190040447
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Korean Journal of Medical Ethics
2016 Volume.19 No. 4 p.447 ~ p.469
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A Study on the Justification of Paternalism in Medical Practice
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Kim Sang-Deuk
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Abstract
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This article examines the ethical justification for medical paternalism. After defining paternalism and distinguishing between the weak and the strong versions of that concept, this article considers two com-mon justifications for paternalism: an argument from consent and a consequentialist argument. While weak paternalism is justified significantly by these two arguments, I claim that strong paternalism cannot be justified by the consent argument and also that there are limitations with using the consequentialist argument to justify strong paternalism. I defend a limited concept of paternalism by appealing to the diminished autonomy argument. Since a patient`s autonomy is diminished by illness, physicians have a limited moral obligation to prevent or at least to minimize harm to their patients, as expressed in the Hippocratic Oath.
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KEYWORD
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paternalism, consent argument, consequentialist argument, prevention of harm argument, argument by diminished autonomy, limited paternalism
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