Reference no: EM133375824

Case Study: The case revolves around a Boston paramedic (Jay Weaver) who was at the scene where an 11-year-old girl was having serious medical complications. She never knew her father. Her mother had been murdered two weeks prior. Since she was a ward of the state, her stepfather had no authority to make medical decisions on her behalf. And she had lung cancer. The girl had indicated to a judge that she didn't want to be resuscitated in the event of respiratory or cardiac arrest. One night when the paramedics were called to the house, and the girl was in respiratory distress, the girl told the paramedic: "Please don't let me die." Upon hearing her plea, he ventilated the 11-year-old all the way to the hospital, even though he was aware he was breaking the law. When she reached the hospital, and her heart was still beating, a lawyer told the doctor that they were breaking the law. The doctor told the nurse, who then stopped the ventilation process, and the girl eventually passed.

Questions: In light of this case, address the following questions for discussion:

• What moral questions or issues does this case raise? In other words, what are the different dilemmas that this case involves?
• Can the judge's order be justified or evaluated from the moral perspective of natural law (both secular and religious), Kantian ethics, or utilitarianism? Can the decision of Jay Weaver (the paramedic)? In your opinion, which of these moral perspectives can most appropriately be applied in this situation and why?