Are laws and regulations the problem or the solution in addressing ethical problems? Explain. What would be an alternative? I do not think laws and regulations are the problem or necessarily always the best solution when addressing ethical problems. While they act as functional guidelines and help society maintain order, life is rarely as black and white as the laws and regulations are written to govern. I think the real issue is the way people are able to twist and bend the law into a form that is often blatantly unethical, but it proves their point of view as being just as valid as anyone else's. In general, I think everyone understands the basics of right and wrong, and the purpose of regulations and laws, but that does not mean they will always follow them. It seems to me that laws and regulations are like a double edged sword; on one hand, they should be flexible and leave room for interpretation to cover the many ethical grey areas of life, but if they are too flexible, unethical individuals are able to easily manipulate them. I cannot see a better alternative to the current system that would not infringe upon some of very ideals this country was built on. The system is a good one, but the founding fathers could not have accounted for the way people manipulate it today. I think our system needs an overhaul; by leaving fewer opportunities to be unethical, a person has little choice but develop better ethics.

How might you apply ethical philosophies and principles that summarize what you perceive to be the top five ethical issues challenging health care delivery today?

I think one ethical issue that is challenging health care delivery today is the large scale push for the use of electronic medical records or EMRs; keeping that type of information secure from people that would use it fraudulently is a constant and daunting task. Another