Please respond to this post in your own words if you agree with the student response to this question: 

How do you propose bioethicists who serve on ethics committees in hospitals and other health care settings reconcile their philosophical ideals and their need to engage in politics?

 

Student response:

Ethics committees are necessary in a hospital setting in order to assist in complicated situations and choices hospitals face.  They are not always knowledgeable on the case or subject matter but look out for the best interest of the patient.  I believe that with education and guidance on cases they can actually assist the hospital on political actions that must be considered.  This can be a benefit for the hospital, especially if the ethicist has been taught by the hospital about different cases and who gets affected.  

In order for an ethicist to deal with some philosophical ideas in a hospital setting they must be able to stretch the truth based on the situation they face.  They must look out for the best interest of the public and realize the consequences from there choices.  Unfortunately, this does mean that they must engage in some politics.  They must proceed with caution and not be persuaded into agreeing with something that is wrong or unfair.  Politics are a horrible thing to face, they can be rough and if money is involved they can be ugly.  The bioethicist serving on a hospital ethics committee must never forget what he or she is there for.  I can imagine some cases where they would want to take the easy way out but that is far from doing what is morally correct.  It takes hard work to turn away from situations that can cause you to make the wrong decision, situations where they must not accept any bribery or reconsider the choices due to facilitating the process for everyone.