ABSTRACT

Ethics is literally ‘the right way of acting or behaving’. It is based on principles which almost all societies consider to be valid. These principles embrace the rights of human beings to respect for their human dignity and this, for example, includes their rights to life, health and bodily integrity. It also includes their right to know the truth, and their right to their property and possessions. At the same time, people also have duties and obligations; rights have their limits often demanding that the rights of others be respected. In the words of an American politician, ‘My right to swing my fist stops where your nose begins.’ The duties include respect for the autonomy and integrity of the individual, respecting their freedom and privacy, and obtaining informed consent for anything that might breach these. Ethics differs from civil laws, which are drawn up by public consent, and are intended to enable the proper functioning of society. The laws established by a society should take ethical principles into account. Sometimes governments make laws which do not respect the ethical principles that should underlie human behaviour; in some cases an individual may feel bound in conscience to disobey a law that they believe to be unjust.