Naturally, there is also some overlap because some legal duties (such as the duty not to sell or serve spoiled food) would also be ethical duties irrespective of legal issues. Others, (such as specific refrigerator temperature requirements) would not necessarily also correspond to ethical duties if the purpose of the law (i.e. avoiding food spoilage) could be accomplished even at slightly higher temperatures. In theory, organizations have no ethical duty not to discriminate by race (etc.) unless those duties are defined by law. However, a very strong argument could be made that there is indeed an ethical duty to treat people equally even without any such laws specifically mandating it.

Legal and Ethical Duties of Hospitals

Hospitals have both extensive statutory and ethical duties that go far beyond those of less essential or less important services such as grocery stores and restaurants (Judson & Hicks, 2003). Hospitals (and all healthcare...
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