Healthcare Ethics: Savior Siblings

The case study that I chose was from Nursing Ethics Journal is titled, The twins: a case study in ethical deliberation. This case presents a nurses perspective about nine year old, Roman Catholic, Hispanic twins, who survived a very difficult preterm birth and were in a persistent vegetative state since childbirth. The parents took care of the twins along with their four other children, but the growing demand of the twins was starting to take a toll on the parents, so they decided to place the twins in an institution. From the time that the twins were admitted to the institution, they have been frequently admitted to the hospital related to respiratory illnesses and urinary tract infection, which were a result of their deteriorating immune system. The nurse’s role was to obtain a do not resuscitate (DNR) order from the parents due to the doctors stating the twins have less than a year left to live, and “why prolong the inevitable?” (Freysteinson, 2009).

Even today, there are many moral and philosophical issues that divide the United States because they create very polarized opinions and beliefs. One such philosophical issue is the moral permissibility of infanticide. Mary Anne Warren, a philosopher, presents her liberal yet controversial views on the issue of infanticide in the postscript of her article, On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion. However, the anti-infanticide arguments pose problems for Warren’s position because they justify the immorality of infanticide through the physical similarity in resemblance of neonates to human beings. These arguments also claim that the destruction of a viable infant is needless because even if the infant’s biological parents reject the infant, there are many other parents who are willing to adopt and nurture that infant.

The debate whether abortion is morally permissible or not permissible is commonly discussed between the considerations of the status of a fetus and ones virtue theory. A widely recognized theory of pro-choice advocates can be thought to be that their ethical view is that fetus’s merely are not humans because they lack the right to life since they believe a fetus does not obtain any sort of mental functions or capability of feelings. Although this may be true in some cases it is not in all so explaining the wrongness of killing, between the common debates whether a fetus does or does not obtain human hood, should be illustrated in a way of a virtuous theory. The wrongness of killing is explained by what the person or fetus is deprived of, such as their right to life; not by means of a heart beat or function of one’s body, but by the fact that it takes their ability of potentially growing into a person to have the same human characteristics as we do.

As we know consequentialism is the focus of an action that does more intrinsically good than bad, one kind of consequentialist theory is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an action that produces consequences that are more good over bad for everyone involved. In order to produce an action that is the best one a utilitarianist would consider both long and short term effects. Two sub categories of utilitarianism include act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. act utilitarianism bases an action on the overall well being produced by an individual.

When a person is going to make a moral decision based on consequentialism, he or she first look at the good and bad possible consequences of the action, then determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad.

In essence, consequentialism is the ideology that justifies its action by producing the greater good (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Some may refer to the principle of utility as the greatest happiness principle. Utilitarianism was fully developed by a British philosopher named John Stuart Mill. There are two types of utilitarianism: Act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism is a belief in which, an individual’s actions are moral as long as the actions produce the greatest outcome possible.

Adoption Adoption is technically defined as “a two-step judicial process in conformance to state statutory provisions in which the legal obligations and rights of a child toward the biological parents are terminated and new rights and obligations are created in the acquired parents” (“Adoption” 1). However, the definition of adoption extends further than the cold and unfeeling dictionary definition. Adoption is love and joy and contentment and wholeness and laughter and tears and growth and work and a new start. My oldest brother was adopted, in addition to eight of my cousins, and I am so thankful that each one of them had the opportunity to be placed in my family. They are my family and the joy I see in the younger kids’ faces at being a

The mother expects the little sister Anna to give her oldest sister a kidney, but Anna is sick of giving things to her older sister. Anna was actually genetically engineered to be a donor for her sister Kate, but doesn’t want to do it anymore; she wants to choose what she

It judges the rightness or wrongness of an action based on properties intrinsic to the action, not on its consequence. A non consequentialist won’t think a lot while taking a decision, all they think while taking a decision is that whether this decision will benefit anyone or if it will harm anyone they forget the outcome related to it. He/ She can be selfless while

In the case study I presented, twins are as close to Wiggins imaginary patient that we can mimic. These being people who are very similar and are known for their separate identities. Many times when you raise twins

At first glance, one would consider the desires of the Ayala family heroic, but however, each decision incorporates various moral issues which must be considered. Mary and Abraham Ayala’s plan to save their daughter’s life by conceiving a child to be a potential donor is a complicated issue to examine. When attempting to consider moral dilemmas, one must understand the effects decisions may have on human flourishing and human dignity. Human flourishing, the capacity to attain self-actualization and fulfillment in society, and human dignity, the inherent rights to be valued and treated ethically, propel each moral issue into consideration. The problems the Ayalas face stem from the desire of Anissa’s parents to help Anissa achieve full human

Under a consequential perspective, Commissioner Walker opines that as an official of the city he is ethically obligated to make decisions that promote good consequences for the greatest number. As he begins to deliberate on the case he starts to reflect on the two schools of thought. He first starts to ponder the meaning of consequentialism. He knows that consequentialism is the view that morality produces the right kinds of overall consequences.

In fact, Jodie’s heart was the one sustaining the functions of the parasitic twin Mary. The parents were staunch Catholics who didn’t think separating the twins, which would result in the death of the parasitic twin Mary, was the right thing to do. Bentham’s and Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism would definitely suggest carrying out the operation and saving the twin that could be saved. One stance is to think that the reality which makes the doctors incapable of saving the

What are the measures for being a human being? Is there any morally relevant break along the biological process of development from the unicellular zygote to birth? In this essay I will discuss why physician should recommend prenatal testing for severe birth defect even if it might encourages abortion therefore I do not agree with the statement above. My argument will based on the following ethical principles and theories: Utilitarianism, Respect for Autonomy and Virtue Firstly I will introduce what each of these ethical theories and principles mean and their implication on this argument. Utilitarianism “Act utilitarianism is solely concerned with achieving the maximum good.

At that moment, the single mother can save the child’s life, meaning she “ought to wade in and pull the child out” (Singer 231). In that scenario, the mother’s moral sacrifice would getting her clothes muddy, but that is insignificant in comparison to the child’s life. In order include the single mother’s argument, let’s say the child in Indonesia and she is in the United States. The child is still drowning and the mother is able to prevent child from drowning, thus the principle would still be the same. According to Singer, “ the principle takes no account pf proximity or distance” meaning that “the fact that a person is physically near us, so that we have a personal contact with [them], may make it more likely that we shall assist [them], but this does show we ought to help the one closest to us as opposed [them]” (Singer 232).