Discuss what makes this an ethical dilemma

Assignment Help Business Law and Ethics

Reference no: EM13766425

Read the case study below and answer the following questions. (1 1/2 - 2 pages) Your answers to each question should be based on your reading of Darr.

1) Discuss what makes this an ethical dilemma.

2) Discuss the implications of this study in terms of the moral principles described in chapter 1. Respect for persons: Did the hospital/ physicians allow the parents to be autonomous in their decision-making?

Do you see any elements of paternalism on behalf of the physicians? Beneficence: Did the hospital/ physicians act beneficently?

Nonmaleficence: Did the hospital/ physicians consider nonmaleficence?

Justice: Did the hospital act in a just way?

Baby K was born at Fairfax Hospital in Northern Virginia on October 13, 1992. Although her face was beautiful, the top of her head was flat. She had no brain The baby's mother knew from the 16th week of her pregnancy that Baby K's brain had not developed. Baby K had no cerebrum and no cerebellum, but she did have a normal brain stern. The mother was told that babies with "anencephaly"- from the Greek words for negative (an) and brain (enkephalos) - cannot see, hear, or feel anything no matter how long they live. Baby K would have no thoughts, and she would never achieve "personhood." If she were born alive, her brain stem would prompt her heart to beat and her lungs to pump air in and out of her body. Baby K, like other babies with anencephaly, would be "born dying" but would not be technically brain dead. Anencephaly is one condition, perhaps the only one, that all doctors agree is futile to treat. The general consensus among medical, legal, and other experts is that heroic measures should not be used to keep such babies alive. But Baby K's mother balked. She wanted to keep her baby alive no matter what the cost. She was motivated by a strong and sincerely held religious belief that "all life is precious" and that a higher being, rather than herself or the doctors or the law, should decide how long her baby would live. Baby K held on (most babies with anencephaly die within the first few days of their lives) and finally left the hospital when she was seven weeks old. No neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) would accept her, so she went to a nursing home.

Reference no: EM13766425

Questions Cloud

How did berlioz use the instruments of the orchestra : How did Berlioz use the instruments of the orchestra to represent the characters and scenery of the program? Begin with a brief introduction including important facts about Berlioz's life and career.

Similarities between theory and hypothesis : Is any one type of theory more valid than the others? Why or why not? What are the differences and similarities (if any) between theory and hypothesis

Write a c++ program to check a number is even or odd : Write a C++ program to check whether a number entered by user is even or odd.

Write a paper on play a midsummer night dream by shakespeare : Write a paper on play A Midsummer Night Dream by Shakespeare. Make an arguement of 900 to 1200 words for why we laugh "at" the "mechanicals" rather than "with" them.

Discuss what makes this an ethical dilemma : Discuss what makes this an ethical dilemma. 2) Discuss the implications of this study in terms of the moral principles described in chapter 1. Respect for persons: Did the hospital/ physicians allow the parents to be autonomous in their decision-m..

Issue related to liability protection : From the perspective of a Christian worldview, is it wrong for a business to try to minimize its overall tax burden?

Discuss the principle determinants of the cdcs decision : From a risk assessment perspective, discuss the principle determinants of the CDC's decision to recommend full-scale manufacture of, and immunization of the public with a vaccine specifically developed for a swine-flu virus

Finance the rest at a lower interest rate : A buyer thinks he can come up with a down payment of $1,300 per acre and he hopes to finance the rest at a lower interest rate. Approximately how low must the interest rate be for the net profit of $150 per acre to meet the loan payments on a loan of..

Expected rate of return is less than required rate of return : If the expected rate of return is less than the required rate of return, should you buy the stock? If you already own the stock, should you keep it or sell it?

User Account

All Pages