Ethical Decision Making
Doctors
Doctors will make their ethical decisions
based on the oaths they take and their own opinions. First, they will base
their ethics from the Hippocratic Oath. The part of the oath that really
sticks out for the HGH controversy is the saying "That into whatsoever house you
shall enter, it shall be for the good of the sick to the utmost of your power,
your holding yourselves far aloof from wrong, from corruption, from the tempting
of others to vice." Another good example is "That you will exercise your art
solely for the cure of your patients, and will give no drug, perform no
operation, for a criminal purpose, even if solicited, far less suggest it"
I think doctors will follow this because they will have to hold their ethics and
give the HGH only to patients that are suffering from abnormal heights.
They will have to hold this oath when a coach or athlete wants HGH, then they
can remember that they need to stay away from corruption and temptation to do
wrong. Doctors have to base their decisions on the oath because if they
don't follow this oath they may lose their license. No matter how much money
they can make from selling HGH on the side, it is not worth losing your license.
Doctors will know whether this is right or wrong based on their opinions but
they will have to make the decision if it is the right thing to do. Giving HGH
out to athletes is wrong but the doctor will have to use his own values to
determine if he/she is going to do it.
Coaches/Athletes
Coaches will make the ethical decision on how bad they want
their athlete to win. The coach may not make the right decision but it
will come down to winning. The coaches job is to win championships.
They will do just about anything to win and keep their job. I think that
some coaches will throw out the ethics that are involved in this because the
emphasis is on the "W". Coaches may not want to have to make that decision
but with pressures from administration may alter his/her thinking. The coach
will have to make the decision, is it worth cheating? What will happen if
my team loses? How bad does my team want to win? These are some
questions the coach will have to think about before making his/her decision.
Athletes are in the same boat. It all comes down on how
bad they want to win. If an athlete isn't as good as the others, then
ethical decision making will not happen. The desire to win is what makes
an athlete compete. If he/she can't win, then they might look for an
alternative to help them win. It may not be ethical but it will improve
their chances of winning. The athlete will need to weight his/her options
before making their decision. Is it really worth risking side effects to help me win?
Is this fair? Would the coach want me to do this? parents? The
athlete will really have to think hard before making an ethical decision because success in
athletics can determine their future (college scholarship/becoming an pro
athlete/future coach).