Question

Describe why there is such a struggle when addressing end-of-life issues

What are the differences between allowing a patient to die and physician-assisted suicide?

Discuss the controversy that can occur when considering a patient's right to know whether a caregiver has AIDS and the caregiver's right to privacy and confidentiality.

Describe the distinctions among wrongful birth, wrongful life, and wrongful conception. Discuss the moral dilemmas of these concepts

Discuss the arguments for and against partial birth abortions

Discuss why there is controversy over genetic markers and stem cell research

Answer 1

ANSWER 1) The end of life care brings certain issues in front of the care provider and the family members. This mainly occurs because choices have to be made about the goals of care like use of certain medications at the last days of life, where does one want to spend his last days, which type of end of life care you want to receive,what type of palliative and hospice care you want to receive. These issues are brought forward due to the autonomy the have towards their care and treatments.

ANSWER 2) Allowing a patient die means removing all the medical assistance that is sustaining the life of an individual. In such patients there is no scope of further improvements with any other medical interventions and the family members are not financially fit to support the cost of long term care.

A physician assisted suicide is the practice of a physician providing means for a person taking his own life usually using prescription of certain medications. These patients should have a sound mind who is capable to make decisions for themselves and should sign a consent in presence of physicians.

ANSWER 3) Every individual suffering from AIDS or even any other disease have the right to privacy and confidentiality. Patient also have the right to know if their care giver have AIDS. This is a controversial issue as the care giver may not be willing to disclose their disease status with a thought that the patient may hestitate to avail the care from such diseased care giver. AIDS still posses social stigma regarding its transmission and disease course which tend to raise certain issues. The care giver may also fear harm to their career with the spread of news regarding his disease condition.

ANSWER 4) A wrongful birth is negligently caused birth of a unhealthy child.Example: Failure of the physician to inform about presence of birth defect.

A wrongful conception is negligently caused birth of a healthy child.Example: negligent sterilization or abortion procedure by the physician.

A wrongful life is child born with birth defect claims his birth was wrongful.

The moral dilemmas involve in this concept is that human life no matter how severely handicapped or unwanted, should be valued and protected. Based on this concepts the parents of such children claims that inadequate medical care has led to birth of impaired or unplanned child. The physician is charged of malpractice and the court allows financial compensation to such families for their injury. But law of many countries do not support this concept as every individual have right to live. The physician who morally opposed to perform abortions cannot be charged for their decision. If physicians are not supported for this decision then it will lead to increased number of unwanted abortions and termination of preganancies.