What is Health Ethics Week? We all encounter ethical situations in our lives, in which our choice of action will have an effect on others. As is well recognized, issues related to health are laden with these ethical situations. In light of this, PHEN coordinates Health Ethics Week as an annual event. It is a time set aside for Albertans to take an active role in analyzing and understanding more fully these ethical issues, while reflecting on their own values.
Health Ethics Week has been designed with several goals in mind. It will:
- Emphasize the importance of examining values underpinning health-related issues and decisions, and the health care system
- Facilitate the health ethics education of various stakeholders in the system, from those who use health services to those who administer and provide them.
- Provide greater visibility for health ethics issues across the province
An integral part of Health Ethics Week is the initiative of the various schools, organizations, and groups involved, such as yours, in preparing activities and discussions. The Provincial Health Ethics Network will serve as a coordinating and resource body for you by providing this resource guide as well as any other materials and advice you may need. Remember that the content and structure of your Health Ethics Week activity is up to you - so collect your ideas and energy and run with them!
What is Health Ethics?
An ethical issue arises in any situation in which one must make a decision that will have an impact on others. It involves reflecting on individual and societal values, how these values influence our decisions, and how our decisions affect our lives and those around us. Health ethics or bioethics is the branch of ethics that deals with ethical issues in health, health care, medicine and biology.
It involves discussions about treatment choices and care options that individuals, families, and health care providers must face. It critically reflects upon the relationships between health care professionals and those they serve, as well as the programmes, systems, and structures intended to improve the health of a population. Bioethics involves deliberating about the allocation of resources, and reflecting on the complex moral choices arising from advancing technology and on-going health care restructuring. It also involves a critical, political, and ethical analysis of the definition and the determinants of health.
A few specific examples of health ethics situations include:
- Making decisions about end-of-life care
- Determining whether to fund the treatment of disease or the promotion of health
- Critically examining the discrepancies in health status between populations and our ethical obligations to ensure ethical access to health and health services
- Ensuring ethical conduct in health research
- Deliberating upon the ethical implications of genetic cloning technology
Who
Can Participate in Health Ethics Week?
All organizations, schools, groups and individuals in Alberta who are affected by or interested in ethical issues that arise in issues surrounding health and health care are invited to participate in Health Ethics Week. These participants include:
- Schools and classes of all ages
- Post-secondary institutions
- Child and family service groups
- Social justice groups
- Community based health organizations and groups
- Churches and religious organizations
- Environment and wildlife organizations
- Mental health agencies
- Members of the public
- Health care institutions
- Health ethics committees and research ethics boards
- Health professional associations
- Health-related businesses
- Regional health authorities and provincial boards
Each of these groups has a unique relationship and association with health issues and Alberta’s health system. As a result, the contribution and participation of these groups in Health Ethics Week is integral to ensure the inclusion of a diverse participant group and the discussion of a range of perspectives on a variety of bioethical issues.
Why Should My Class or School Participate?
Because we all encounter ethical decisions in our lifetimes, ethical education is of utmost importance in the character development of our students. If we have not learned how to critically consider our own values while we are young, dealing with these ethical issues later in life becomes very challenging. Thus, while we cannot rely on static, pre-determined rules for making ethical decisions, promoting, teaching, and discussing values such as Alberta Learning’s values of respect, integrity, trust, openness, and caring will help students to reflect on their own values, and be more prepared to act ethically when faced with difficult decisions.
Health Ethics Week is an excellent vehicle for doing this since bioethics issues can be incorporated into such a variety of curricula at all grade levels. Whether you are teaching senior high Biology or elementary Health and Life Skills, a small amount of planning and creativity can allow you to include the discussion of bioethics into your teaching.
By participating in Health Ethics Week you will be creating an awareness of the range of ethical issues in health and how they relate to your students’ lives, while fostering critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills. We are confident that doing so will result in a community of students who are more conscious of their values, increasingly aware of the ethical issues that exist in their lives and in the community around them, and thus, significantly more likely to engage in ethical behaviour.
How Can My Class or School Participate?
Your involvement in Health Ethics Week is encouraged at a level that is comfortable for you and relevant to the age, abilities, and curriculum of your class. It may take the form of a creative writing topic or art project incorporated into your planned lessons. It could be a prepared class debate or facilitated discussion on one or more bioethics topics, or your class may develop a theatrical performance to share with other students. You may wish to coordinate your activities with another classroom, make it a school-wide event, or contact a participating school, institution or group in your community and collaborate with them. You are best able to decide how to most effectively incorporate this important topic into your students’ learning, and how much time and energy you have to devote to doing so. Organizing a Health Ethics Week activity will certainly require your time, interest, energy and commitment. Yet, be sure to know that PHEN is here to support you in this endeavour and that your contribution to ethics education is both valuable and valued!
Teaching Ethics
It is important to remember that discussing values and ethical issues requires a safe, supportive and caring environment. Before engaging in your Health Ethics Week activity, establishing such an environment within your classroom is integral. It is vital to find the balance between ensuring your students’ comfort in discussing these topics, and encouraging them to expand their knowledge of themselves by critically reflecting on their own values. The goal is not to determine right and wrong answers, but to facilitate a process of careful information gathering, value examination, critical thinking and logical argument development in order to allow the students to develop their own opinions, thoughts and arguments.
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