What concept focuses on doing good or causing good to be done in ethical decision-making?

The concept that focuses on doing good or causing good to be done in ethical decision-making is beneficence. In the field of medical ethics and counseling, beneficence is a fundamental principle that guides professionals to act in ways that benefit others, particularly in promoting health, well-being, and positive outcomes for individuals. It emphasizes the ethical obligation to contribute to the welfare of the patient or client, ensuring that actions taken are aimed at providing positive benefits.

This principle requires healthcare professionals, including genetic counselors, to be proactive in their approach, advocating for interventions or actions that support the best interests of those they serve. In practice, beneficence can involve recommending specific tests, treatments, or preventive measures that are likely to result in improved health outcomes.

Other concepts listed, such as ambivalent decision making, virtue ethics, and principle-based ethics, play different roles in ethical discourse. Ambivalent decision making might describe uncertainty or conflict in making choices, while virtue ethics emphasizes character and moral virtue rather than actions alone. Principle-based ethics encompasses broader frameworks, which include beneficence, but does not specifically highlight the focus on promoting good as beneficence does. Thus, beneficence stands out as the specific principle aligned with the goal of actively doing good