[...]... "AIDS" in the title of this book reflects this double meaning AIDS and Professional Ethics As the title suggests, this collection is about problems that AIDS (or, more precisely, HIV) poses for "professional ethics. " But what is professional ethics? Since "ethics" has several different senses, let's begin with :a discussion of these In one sense, ethics is the descriptive study of morality Ethics (in this... against doing what is right, morally concerned profe:ssionals of all kinds may find themselves confronting such hard choices We are accustomed to thinking of psychotherapists, lawyers, and clergy as counselors We generally do not think of journalists that way although in Jmany respects that is what they are We rely on them for information (both straight news and investigative reporting), insight (interpretation... is morally permissible) Applied ethics is (in part) an opportunity to put ethical theory to work on practical problems Insofar as professional ethics is concerned with moral issues of practical importance for professionals, professional ethics is a field of applied ethics This book constitutes work in applied ethics The connection between ethical theory and applied ethics is controversial but important... with HIV Beginning with an analysis of the general concept of a profession, Davis argue~s that, like other professions, dentistry is defined in part by its code of ethics This code-the American Dental Association's Principles of Ethics, together with its Code of Professional Conduct and Advisory Opinions-calls for dentists to serve "the public," that is, anyone in need of dental care, including Hlv-seropositive... general interest before satisfying the interests of the business, or that a preschool administrator is morally required to protect the children in her care before paying heed to any other interest? These questions suggest that Cohen needs to justify his method (as well as expllain it), to show that general interests should always take priority ove:r narrower interests (or, at least, to show that a certain... suffering from AIDS (as Edelheit did) before saying anything more Edelheit's method is demanding Second, those objecting to Edelheit's conclusions could appeal to "nature" to reveal God's intent when the sacred texts seem unclear But then they would face the daunting task of explaining how we are to divine God's will in nature After all, no one supposes black lung disease to be God's punishment for digging... feeding or through direct contact with the child's blood or feces 8 In general, the frequency of viral transmissions seems to be a major factor in d(~termining the probability of infection For example, each stick with a contaminated needle, or each act of unprotected vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner, increases the probability of contracting HIV This is not, of course, to say that a single... employees with HIV by ostracizing thenl and by depriving them of meaningful, productive activity And, as Gini and Davis note, the legality of this option remains to be determined On the other hand, while relying on general policies instead of a specific AIlDS policy may allow for greater "flexibility" in addressing HIV cases, it may also overlook important differences between HIV and Introduction • 15 such.. .ethics, and practitioners (both those whose professions are actually represented here and those whose professions bear some analogy to these) Many courses in medical ethics would, we believe, benefit from a second text allowing students to see medicine in the context of other professions All too often courses in medical ethics are simply courses in moral problems arising in a hospital... cases In one, a client with HIV tells a counselor that he is regularly having unprotected sex with his unknowing fiancee In the second case, the client with HIV tells the counselor that he is having unprotected sex with anonymous (and unknowing) Introduction • 17 "pickups " In the third, the counselor is counseling both husband and wife During one session, when the wife is not present, the husband informs .