The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a new vaccine for the prevention of a widespread childhood disease.They considered the potentially serious side effects of the vaccine,which can include brain damage and mental retardation.However,less than 1 in 100,000 of the children receiving the vaccine will experience these side effects.Most children will experience nothing more than some local soreness,and possibly a mild fever.The vaccine will dramatically reduce the incidence of a childhood disease that is fatal in 29% of the cases.The ethical principle underlying this decision was probably the:

A) hedonist principle
B) distributive justice principle
C) golden rule principle
D) utilitarian principle

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Genesis Gepte · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : D, Explanation :  The utilitarian principle suggests that the action that results in the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the most ethical one. In this case, while there is a small risk of serious side effects, the vaccine will dramatically reduce the incidence of a childhood disease that can be fatal in many cases, thus the overall benefit of preventing the disease outweighs the risk of side effects. Therefore, the FDA's decision to approve the vaccine is in line with the utilitarian principle.

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