Case Study on Abortion of fetuses with Down syndrome and its Ethical Implications The right to choose an abortion is a decision that must be made by an informed individual. It is an individual’s right to proceeded with an abortion if deemed by that individual to be necessary to protect and maintain their Autonomy and quality of life. Often individuals choose to abort a fetus that has been tested and confirmed to have down syndrome. Down syndrome “DS can lead to early fetal loss or still birth, surviving infants often suffer from mild to moderate intellectual disability, growth delay and poor quality of life” (Changfei 2014). There are two main arguments that that either support or oppose the decision to abort a fetus with Down syndrome. …show more content…
The Student is demonstrating virtue ethics which explained as “Rather than centering on what is right or wrong in terms of one’s duties or the consequences of one’s actions, the excellence of one’s character and considerations of what sort of person one wants to be is emphasized in virtue ethics” (Butts 2016 p17). In other words, the student is mainly acting on what she feels is right by her own ethical beliefs, to be a good person in her own vision (Butts 2016). So, for her to believe herself to be a good person, she wants to inform the patients about the positives of life with Down syndrome. Narrative ethics should be considered before making a determination of the outcome of this case study. Narrative ethics is a theory that looks more deeply into a situation by looking at the full story (Butts 2016). This means that to make an appropriate ethical decision all aspects of a situation should be looked at, which includes the feelings and personal life experiences of those involved (Butts 2016). “Nurses who use narrative ethics are aware that there is more to a patient’s story than is known or discussed among healthcare providers” (Butts 2016 p25). Narrative ethics and virtue ethics are conflicting in this case study because the student is unsure if she should intervene. The student wants to advocate for people with Down syndrome but …show more content…
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I chose to go into nursing because I had taken a sports medicine class in high school I enjoyed, and I thought I would be guaranteed a job graduating that had something to do with medicine. I can remember being so excited to learn how about illnesses and medications, and all the difference procedures done in the hospital. At the time I thought a nurse’s job was to do what the physicians said, and I expected set guidelines that would tell me what I was and wasn’t allowed to do. I had no idea that I was entering onto a career path involving so much complexity, and that the skills I had dreamed of learning were such a small part of nursing in comparison to the emotional, decision making, and critical thinking skills that a nursing career requires. Ethics in nursing was not something that had ever crossed my mind when I chose to take this path, however now ethics is something that I think about every day I am practicing, whether in clinical or theory courses. Ethical theories often come from the idea that because we are human we have the obligation to care about other’s best interests (Kozier et al., 2010), however in nursing ethical practice is not just a personal choice but a professional responsibility.
The reason for this is due to the fact that the child is curable, all the child would need is to have surgery to make them all better. So the AMA would never permit it because the child is not facing death. The main reason why the child would even have to die by the parents thinking is because they just have down syndrome. Which with the doctors say in the matter seems to be pushing the parents into making this decision. When in fact it should be up to the parents only. So if the parent’s decided to let the child die then they are intentionally killing the child which has nothing to do with euthanasia. When reading this I felt that Rachels is talking about morals and what is right and wrong thing to do. Like is it okay to just let a infant die from something that is curable just because they have down syndrome, or let them live like that for the rest of their
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Many people believe, from common knowledge, that having a Down syndrome cannot be prevented and that it is genetic. This was proved w...
Down syndrome, a genetic disorder, is the most common cause for intellectual disabilities, occurring at an average of one out of every 700 births (CDS, 2006). This disorder is caused by the extra chromosome 21 (also known as Trisomy 21). According to Hassold and Sherman (2002), the probability of giving birth to a child with DS is not linked to any race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. Maternal age seems to be the only etiological factor that may cause DS.
The classical term for the word ethics is, moral philosophies that rule an individual’s or group behavior or action. The American Nurses Association used ethics to write the Code of Ethics for Nurses with these values and visions in mind: “(1) As a statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every person who chooses to enter the profession of nursing. (2) To act as the nonnegotiable standard of ethics. (3) To serve as an expression of the understanding on nursing’s commitment to society.” (Nurses Code of Ethics, 2015). With our ever-changing society and healthcare, also comes changes to the American Nurses Association’s
In the case of a Downs syndrome infant born with other defects such as intestinal obstruction the choice is sometimes made to let the baby die. However, when the Downs syndrome infant is otherwise healthy you are not allowed to kill it. Basically the decision is be...
Abortion is a voluminous topic today all around the world. Differing viewpoints on abortion are recognized in politics, religion, and throughout the general population. There is a small amount of people who are nonchalant on the subject. Women have abortions for many different reasons and according to certain groups these reasons are either justified or not. Everyone tends to have their own articulated opinion, and many vocalize tenaciously what they believe. Pro-life individuals along with religion are sanguine that abortion is ethically and morally erroneous. Whereas those who are pro-choice say that abortion is inconsequential and the mother’s choice is more important than the fetus. Reasons to not get an abortion include risks involved in receiving an abortion. In some cases death can occur. However, there are other alternatives to abortion. For example, raising the child and adoption.
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Abortion is defined as a procedure that is done to remove an embryo or fetus from the uterus of its mother in order to prevent its birth (Roth, 2005). Abortion is categorized as a bioethical issue because it relates to the morals of biomedical advances, policies and research. Abortion is a difficult subject that can involve personal morals and beliefs, legality and religious values. The issue is often viewed from either the side of pro-life, which places emphasis on the fetus and its right to life or pro-choice, which emphasizes the rights of the mother to decide the appropriate action (Roth, 2005). This brings the ethical question of should the government have the right to outlaw abortion into debate. The two viewpoints of pro-life and pro-choice explore the two main moral issues concerning abortion (Roth, 2005).
Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a persons or a group’s behavior, ethical principles apply to both personal and professional relationships (Webster, 2015). The field of nursing is a profession that has been highly regarded and respected in society. Most nurses enter the profession in order to utilize their clinical skills to help others in their time of need. Those in failing health rely on nurses to care for them in their most vulnerable states, and expect a level of compassion and humanity while receiving care. Nurses have an ethical responsibility to their patients, clients, and their community. Compassion, empathy, and integrity are staple characteristics that nurses possess that allow them to successfully perform their
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Rachels explains how life and death is being decided on irrelevant grounds (page 3). He says that “the matter should be decided, if at all, on that basis (Down’s syndrome), and not be allowed to depend on the essentially irrelevant question of whether the intestinal tract is blocked”. He believes that the doctrine should be rejected because letting a baby die because of obstructed intestinal tracts when it has Down’s syndrome is not the way to decide life and death. It should be solely based on the Down’s syndrome and the judgement of the doctor and parents. It seems because of this, the baby is let to die and not killed. When there is nothing to be done, the baby should be killed and not let to slowly die. Although it seems wrong to kill a baby, the parents and doctor deemed it would be better to let it die, so why let the baby suffer instead of killing it