Introduction Introduction to the Decision-Making Model Bioethics is a coined word which has two acceptable meanings. Bioethics is a truncated version of the words biology and ethics and most commonly is used to refer to ethical problems that arise in the fields of biology and medicine. The aforementioned definition is how the term bioethics is used by the staff of the Kennedy Bioethics Center at Georgetown University. However, there is another way in which the term bioethics is being used.
Ethics is an often misunderstood term.
However, the word ethics carries a far different meaning to most ethicists. To an ethicist, ethics refers to a critical assessment and reflection upon various codes of behavior and the reconstruction of these codes into an all-inclusive theory about human morality. One cannot make rational bioethical decision without reflecting upon one's own personal values. Basically, one's values are derived from one's experience and culture. Many cultural values are developed as a response to societal needs created by changes in the environment.