Beneficence and nonmaleficence are two important principles any physician -surgeon have to follow while practicing medicine. Beneficence comprises actions that are beneficial to the patient and nonmaleficence instructs that the physician should avoid any harm to the patient. When beneficence and nonmaleficence conflict, nonmaleficence wins. In this regard, there are two philosophies which are RIGHT in their own aspect.
1) To some physicians, the goal of medicine is to save and prolong life and thus any act of shortening the life is wrong. 2) Other believe that the goal of medicine is to improve life, but only if it is a life worth living! Whatever said and done, striking a balance and taking a call between '1' and '2' is indeed difficult. As a pracitising physician which philosophy sounds close to your working ethics?
