Anomalous therapies and public health: a utilitarian bioethical response

Abstract

A utilitarian approach is used to evaluate the ethics of incorporating unscientific anomalous therapies within health care and related settings. This paper argues that incorporation of anomalous therapy methods into health care systems is highly problematic, and should be avoided on ethical grounds. The ethical responses open to various bodies and individuals are discussed, including legislative bodies, public health care providers, the medical research community, medical providers, individual agents, and international bodies. It is argued that a moral imperative exists to act against the inclusion of anomalous therapy methods in health care systems.