BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – MAIN CAMPUS

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
BIOETHICS

FERNE JOY O. TACULAD

REFLECTION
Someone said that one should never lie. But if the truth is too difficult for the person to
bear, you have to put it in a certain frame. Telling the truth is not the only criterion of ethical
behavior. Ethical norms should certainly be respected. Nobody should lie. That’s true, but to lie
is not the same as not to tell something. This is a very fine distinction. There are people who are
not ready to accept the truth, regardless of their cognitive abilities and intellectual status.
Commonly in medical ethics, the principle of beneficence is the obligation of a physician
to act for the benefit of the patient, supporting moral rules to prevent harm and help people who
are ill. But in human values, beneficence connotes acts or personal qualities of mercy, kindness,
generosity, and charity. It is suggestive of altruism, love, humanity, and promoting the good of
others. In short, helping someone not because you want to be praised for being nice, but because
you truly care through giving of your time and/or words of comfort, encouragement and skills.
Despite common inconsistencies in views, attitudes and behavior regarding beneficence,
patient’s autonomy issues, and the constant collision with paternalism, the pillars of medical
ethics should be highly observed. It may require more than an allegiance to the simple notion of
the patient’s right to make treatment decisions independently, nevertheless, greater importance
should be dedicated to patient’s issues for our bodies are holy and are called the temple of God.