Which statement best defines ethics?

• A. A legal requirement
• B. A set of principles relating to what is morally right or wrong
• C. A hospital policy
• D. A professional license criterion

Answer: (B)

Ethics are the principles that guide what is morally right or wrong. They focus on how we ought to act in situations that involve values, fairness, and respect for others, not merely what is legally required or allowed. In health care, ethics helps people think through obligations to patients—like respecting a patient’s choices (autonomy), doing good while avoiding harm (beneficence and nonmaleficence), and treating everyone fairly (justice). This sets ethics apart from laws, which are enforceable rules, or from hospital policies and professional license criteria, which are organizational or credentialing requirements. So, describing ethics as a set of principles about what is morally right or wrong best captures the idea.