Firstly, by looking at the first patient, whether she gets a kidney from her father or a “cadaver kidney” , there will be no difference because she needs a kidney nonetheless. The second patient however, cannot agree to give his kidney away because one of the main reasons is that he’s scared and lacks “the courage to make this donation”9. So right at this point, it can be seen that it would be better if the father didn’t give his kidney away because it wouldn’t cause him any happiness, whereas the daughter has two options to gIn everyday life, whether on a personal base or on a professional base, difficult scenarios, or also known as moral dilemmas, are present. Depending on whom the person is or what their belief and value systems are, the issue can be ‘resolved’. In this particular case, questions arise about whether it is morally right to lie to family members when something can be done, ignoring the fact of its after effects. The case will be explained in details later on including the patient’s state, but to answer this ethical question, two theorists will be presented for the con and pro side. For the con side, the deontologist Immanuel Kant will be presented with his theory that lying is prohibited under all circumstances, as for the pro side, John Stuart Mill will be presented for the utilitarian theory stating that whichever decision brings out the most happiness is the right decision. After discussing the case, my personal view of what is right will be stated with my own reasons, which is that lying is the right decision to be taken.
This case study which is taken from Robert M. Veatch’s Medical Ethics book is about a 5 year old girl, who from the last 3 years, has been suffering from “progressive renal failure” which...
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...nication for no one would be saying the truth.
et a donor kidney.
Books:
Hill, Thomas E., "Categorical and Hypothetical Imperatives." In The Blackwell guide to Kant's ethics. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 5-9.
Rachels, James, and Stuart Rachels. "7,8,9,10." In The elements of moral philosophy. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. 97-145.
Veatch, Robert M.,"The Normative Principles of Medical Ethics." In Medical ethics. 1997. Reprint, Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 1989 29-56.
Websites:
consequentialist. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consequentialist (accessed: December 05, 2011).
Mill, John Stuart. “Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill.” Utilitarianism: past, present and future. http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill2.htm (accessed December 05, 2011).
Sarah Cullen and Margaret Klein, “Respect for Patients, Physicians, and the Truth,” in L. Vaughn, Bioethics: 148-55
Kant, Immanuel, and Mary J. Gregor. The Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996. Print.
Morgan, Michael L., ed. Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 3rd Edition. Indianapolis. Hackett, 2001.
Kant argued that the Categorical Imperative (CI) was the test for morally permissible actions. The CI states: I must act in such a way that I can will that my maxim should become a universal law. Maxims which fail to pass the CI do so because they lead to a contradiction or impossibility. Kant believes this imperative stems from the rationality of the will itself, and thus it is necessary regardless of the particular ends of an individual; the CI is an innate constituent of being a rational individual. As a result, failure ...
John Stuart Mill (1808-73) believed in an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. There are many formulation of this theory. One such is, "Everyone should act in such a way to bring the largest possibly balance of good over evil for everyone involved." However, good is a relative term. What is good? Utilitarians disagreed on this subject.
Dialysis is a pretty expensive procedure and is required to be done regularly. The patients have to follow a strict schedule. Some patients that have to undergo regular dialysis are already very old and most of their other body parts are also not properly working. For example consider a situation in which a patient is in comma and is not responding , and patient is going through regular dialysis cycles, questions may arise that should the patient be given the treatment of dialysis. Not only it is putting burden on the resources and equipment of the hospital but it is also a financial burden on the person and the family of the patient. The dialysis machine could be used for another patient who is young has a lot of responsibilities like supporting the family needs etc, also the money that is spent on the procedure of dialysis for the comma patient that might have been used for someone’s help in the family. This is where we see the ethical dilemma. These are very di...
This deontological ethical theories realizes that there is good and bad in every moral situation and focuses more on the outcome than actually doing the act. For the sake of this scenario the moral situation is going to be phrased as: Ought the physician to go around the father’s wishes to help the daughter’s medical situation? The relevant facts of this scenario is the effect it has on the father and the daughter, and how it will effect each one. The father could be devastated by donating a kidney he never wanted to donate in the first place, or the little girl could lose her life if the father does not donate his kidney. To sort the effects of the two people look at both of the outcomes of a decision. First, look at the two options and two outcomes of each. Option A is yes, tell the man’s family about his match, so the little girl will get her kidney transplant. The good in this situation is that more than likely the kidney transplant will save the daughter’s life. The bad in this situation is to break the dad’s option to make his own choice and give him complete control over his body. On the other side, Option B is to not tell the family, and look for a cadaver kidney. The good in this situation is the physician is not overstepping the father’s wishes to make sure his family pushes him into giving the girl his kidney. The bad in this situation is the little girl has a higher chance of not surviving. Deciding between the lesser of two evils saving the girls life becomes more valuable than overstepping the father’s wishes. Therefore, deducting an answer using Act Utilitarianism means that the physician will tell the rest of the family that the father is the correct tissue match, and they will pressure him into donating a
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
Mill, J. S., Bentham, J., & Ryan, A. (1987). Utilitarianism and other essays. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books.
"On Liberty by John Stuart Mill." Utilitarianism : Past, Present and Future. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. .
Pojman, L. (2002). 6: Utilitarianism. Ethics: discovering right and wrong (pp. 104-113). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM.
J.S. Mill, 'What Utilitarianism Is' from Peter Y. Windt, An Introduction to Philosophy: Ideas in Conflict, St Paul, MN: West Publishing, 1982.
Garrett, T. M., Baillie, H. W., & Garrett, R. M. (2010). Health care ethics: Principles and problems (5thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
‘Kantian Ethics’ in [EBQ] James P Sterba (ed) Ethics: the Big Questions, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998, 185-198. 2) Kant, Immanuel. ‘Morality and Rationality’ in [MPS] 410-429. 3) Rachel, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, fourth edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.