Reference no: EM132255539
Dr. Timorous has been requested to examine Mary and Stan Koska to see if there is a danger of them having children with Tay-Sachs disease, a genetic disease leading to a progressive mental and physical deterioration. Over a period of months, a baby with this disease will go blind, and suffer motor paralysis, spasticity, and, finally, rigidity of the muscles. Death usually occurs in the third year of life.
The test indicates that Stan has a recessive Tay-Sachs gene. Dr. Timorous tells him this and suggests that he tell his brothers and urge them to have the test, since they too are thinking of having children. Stan feels contaminated and ashamed and refuses to say anything to his brothers.
Dr. Timorous knows the brothers socially. Although they are not his patients, he has seen one of them professionally in the past. He debates with himself. Should he send carefully worded letters to the brothers urging the screening? Should he just keep it all to himself? What is the ethical thing to do?
Is there any way of getting the brothers screened without breaking confidentiality? If there is no way, would Timorous have a proportionate reason to break confidentiality? Would Timorous be unethical if he remains silent? Here the seriousness of the disease and the odds of it being passed on are very relevant.