Principle-based ethics, developed by Beauchamp and Childress (2000; cited in European Commission, 2010; Schüklenk, 2005), proposes a system of ethical reasoning based on the following four principles:

• Respect for autonomy (i.e., the obligation to respect decision-making capacities of autonomous people),
• Beneficence (i.e., the obligation to provide benefits and to balance them against risks),
• Non-maleficence (i.e., the obligation to avoid causing harm),
• Justice (i.e., the obligation of fairness in the distribution of benefits and risks).