Mandatory cancer risk warnings on alcoholic beverages: what are the ethical issues?
- PMID: 25786002
- DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998373
Mandatory cancer risk warnings on alcoholic beverages: what are the ethical issues?
Abstract
The link between alcohol consumption and cancer is well established, but public awareness of the risk remains low. Mandated warning labels have been suggested as a way of ensuring "informed choice" about alcohol consumption. In this article we explore various ethical issues that may arise in connection with cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages; in particular we highlight the potentially questionable autonomy of alcohol consumption decisions (either with or without labels) and consider the implications if the autonomy of drinking behavior is substantially compromised. Our discussion demonstrates the need for the various ethical issues to be considered and addressed in any decision to mandate cancer warning labels.
Keywords: alcohol; cancer; ethics; public health; warning labels.
Comment in
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Alcohol, liberty, and societal change: what should we do about our drinking problem?Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):12-4. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998387. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786003 No abstract available.
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Weighing the ethical considerations of autonomy and efficacy with respect to mandatory warning labels.Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):14-5. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998379. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786004 No abstract available.
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Cancer warnings on alcohol: is cancer the issue and are labels the solution?Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):16-7. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998794. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786005 No abstract available.
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Caution! Warning labels about alcohol and pregnancy: unintended consequences and questionable effectiveness.Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):18-20. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998376. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786006 No abstract available.
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How should we ethically justify alcohol warning labels? Thinking more broadly about risk, benefit, and efficacy.Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):20-2. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998381. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786007 No abstract available.
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Evaluating public health effectiveness of alcohol label warnings.Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(3):23-4. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2014.998384. Am J Bioeth. 2015. PMID: 25786008 No abstract available.
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