ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the term ‘ethics’ will be considered in the same way that the meaning of the term ‘law’ was considered and discussed at some length in Chapter 1. Some definitions of the term ‘ethics’ will be offered and four main approaches to ethics will be outlined to provide the reader with a basis for understanding a subsequent and more detailed discussion on the relevance of ethics for practice. A brief review of the philosophical dimension on ethical theories provides some insight into how the concepts of ‘ethical values’ and ‘human rights’ have emerged, and enhance the reader’s appreciation of the significance of the relationship between ethics and patients’ rights. The areas of rights and freedom of choice, necessity and the greater good principle, ethical decision-making frameworks, and ethics and the therapeutic relationship will subsequently be discussed. Thinking points have been included to engage the reader in some ethical thinking and decisionmaking related to the ongoing discussion.
