Bioethics and Deontology

As a first-year subject, basic knowledge is recommended for those arising from Access to Higher Education.

The curricular unit will be developed according to a theoretical model with moments of structured exposition of the contents and respective analysis and discussion or debate.

An interrogative and interactive methodology will be used prior to the presentation of the main contents and concepts, and demonstration/exemplified of them through their practical application in everyday situations and resorting, whenever justified, to videos,

computer programs, professional tools. It also includes, and whenever justified, the autonomous study with research on the exposed contents and the reading and critical analysis of articles/texts.

Sensitize the student to issues of an ethical nature, namely those related to the area of health;

To analyse the ethical consequences of advances in technology and medicine;

Contribute to a better understanding of ethical aspects and their applicability in the nutrition profession;

Learn about personal values and the underlying ethical principles, enabling reflection on their applicability in the profession and in society in general;

Identify new ethical paradigms and adopt a critical approach to decision-making;

Understand and analyse specific concepts and apply them to problems of ethical nature.

INTRODUCTION TO BIOETHICS

– Definition, structure and origin of ethics and bioethics.

– Values, principles and norms.  The theorisation of bioethics.

– Basic and fundamental human rights. The right to adequate food.

– Informed consent: structural elements and variants. Autonomy and the right to privacy.

– The responsibility of health professionals (professional competence, their roles and interprofessional respect): professional secrecy/confidentiality of clinical data; patients’ rights and duties.

BIOETHICS, DEONTOLOGY AND NUTRITION

– Codes of ethics and deontological codes;

– Health and nutrition from a bioethical point of view. Ethics of scientific research in the nutritional sciences.

SPECIFIC TOPICS FOR INDIVIDUAL WORK

– Bioethics, disability and rehabilitation;

– Bioethics and ageing populations;

– Bioethics, euthanasia and the dignity of death;

– Bioethics and HIV infection;

– Bioethics, society, health and quality of life;

– Medically assisted reproduction;

– Bioethics and sexuality;

– Bioethics and abortion;

– Environment, biodiversity and biopolitics.

NAO

Primary:

Beauchamp, T; Childress, J: Princípios de Ética Biomédica (trad. Do original inglês por Teresa Garcia-Miguel et al), Masson ed., Barcelona, 2002.

Neves, M.; Osswald, W.: Bioética Simples. 2ª edição (revista e atualizada), Lisboa, Verbo/Babel, 2014

Engelhardt, T: Fundamentos da Bioética, (trad. José A. Ceschin), Edições Loyola, São Paulo, 1998, ISBN: 85- 15-01683-4.

Serrão, D: Consentimento Informado, in Bioética, (Coordenação de Luís Archer, Jorge biscaia e Walter Oswald), Editorial Verbo, Lisboa, 1996: 78-81.

Secondary:

Additional bibliography to be referenced by the lecturer during the course.