Bioethical issues related to the principle of utility in the residential consumption of drinking water in Colombia

Abstract This article is part of the research on bioethical issues related to residential consumption of drinking water in Colombia; through the use of the hermeneutic method and quantitative methodology, we analyze evidence in the monitoring of the tariff policy from the regulatory stages implemented between 1994 and 2021, which have generated increases in the coverage and quality of service, in a good of public interest with high interference of political interests. Thus, from the ethical doctrine of utilitarianism and its principle of utility versus economic theory, we have sought to unveil the bioethical issues associated with the residential consumption of drinking water stipulated in the tariff policy; obtaining among other results that: the companies responsible for drinking water supply operate inefficiently; tariff policies are regressive with negative social impact; high dependence on the political management of the service, affecting the criteria of freedom in decision making; water management and policies should be based on a bioethical perspective