Ethical Issues in New-born Screening and Public Health Law

Running head: HEALTHCARE
CHS 761.7001 Public Health Law
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

HEALTHCARE1
Discussion 2
Step 1: New-born screening forms a vital component of healthcare since they help in
early detection of metabolic and genetic disorders, pre-symptomatically, thus reducing future
health risks. However, major ethical issues are related to dissemination of insufficient
information to parents about the need for screening, lack of communication, and threat to
new-born health and safety under circumstances when the parents do not consent to the
process.
Step 2: While making new-born screening mandatory, the health department must
address the ethical issues by imparting education to parents on the need of screening their
children, and the adverse events that might occur if they are not screened (Benjamin &
Berkman, 2015). Parents often demonstrate lack of knowledge about possible health diseases
that can affect their children and their future impacts. Thus, increasing parental knowledge
and awareness is essential for involving them in decision making.
Step 3: Long-term care by the parents often gets improved if parents are allowed to
voice their opinion, while healthcare decisions are being made for their children. Owing to
the fact that not conducting new-born screening due to lack of parental consent can result in
failure in detection of potentially disabling or fatal health conditions, there is a need to
disseminate essential information to the parents about their role in the influencing health
outcomes of their children.
Discussion 4
Also referred to as personal freedom, civil liberties refer to personal freedom that
cannot be abridged by the government without due procedure, either by judicial interpretation
or by law. Owing to the fact that public healthcare is an issue based on civil rights, under
circumstances when a person suffers from a potentially infectious or deadly disease, it is

HEALTHCARE2
necessary to curtail the civil rights, in order to provide protection to the public (Gostin &
Wiley, 2016). However, public health agencies also demonstrate an ethical obligation for
addressing use of solitary confinement for health equity, violence prevention, surveillance,
and reducing risks of psychological and occupational hazards for correctional staff (Cloud et
al., 2015).
Discussion 5
Authorities of the local government are held democratically accountable for the
wellbeing of the local population. They comprehend the fundamental prominence of “place”
in upholding health and wellbeing. They also work towards improvement of social
determinants of health such as, environmental regeneration, housing, education, road and fire
safety, for eliminating health inequalities, thus improving health status of the residents
(Willmott et al., 2015). In addition, the local government also has the responsibility of
providing welfare services in the form of residential accommodation to people who are in
need such as, aged, or disabled people, thus improving their health. They also support local
communities, promote community engagement, and foster social networks amid isolated
elderly, children, and young families, all of which play an important role in health
enhancement (Sallnow & Paul, 2015).
Discussion 6
Public health problem selected- Childhood obesity
 Command and Control Regulation- This regulation can be imposed for removing the
sale of carbonated drinks and fried foods from schools, thus reducing their
consumption by children. While it helps in influencing behavior by defining what is
illegal and what is permitted, it might reflect severely on the food products (Cole &
Grossman, 2018).