Parenting Ethics: Do No Harm, Do Good
In the medical community " nonmaleficence " is the ethical obligation not to inflict harm. In medical ethics, the physician's guiding maxim is “First, do no harm.” The opposite is beneficence (do good); provide benefits to persons and contribute to their welfare. Refers to an action done for the benefit of others. " Nonmaleficence means non-harming or inflicting the least harm possible to reach a beneficial outcome. Harm and its effects are considerations and part of the ethical decision-making process ..." Clearly, parenting should come with the same sort of ethical guidance. A parents first obligation to their children is to inflict no harm; or at least to inflict the least amount of harm possible to reach the beneficial outcome. 1) Nonmaleficence - do no harm 2) Beneficence - do good Evidence-Based Parenting The research on parenting provides a reasonably clear set of guidelines on what is harmful and what is helpful. Evidence-based parentin...