TABLE 1.
Frameworks for Justifying Public Health Initiatives
| Ethical Principle | Justification | Requirements |
| Necessity | The public health intervention is demonstrably necessary. | Public health goals of the proposed program must be specified. |
| The policy must be necessary and effective in achieving its stated goals. | ||
| Minimal infringement | The intervention minimizes moral harms. | Known or potential burdens of the program should be specified, including risks to privacy and confidentiality, liberty and self-determination, and justice. |
| Action must be exercised in the least restrictive manner possible. | ||
| Burdens should be minimized and should be proportional to the health benefits to be achieved. | ||
| Good governance | The exercise of collective authority is worthy of the public's trust. | The benefits and burdens of a program must be fairly balanced. |
| The program must be implemented fairly. | ||
| Officials must explain and justify moral infringements to the public. | ||
| Decisions must be legitimated by comprehensive participation of relevant parties and transparent processes. | ||
| Consideration must be given to existing precedents and the precedents to be established. |