Question

Pick three of the following topics to discuss-

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

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

Ans: It is physician's duty to mitigate the pain of the patients. In addition, a physician has an obligation to relieve the pain and suffering and maintain the dignity of a dying patient, In my opinion, Physician's assisted suicide should be legalized with strict rules to ensure no misuse of the law for personal benefits. Physician's assisted suicide is a highly controversial issue. The controversy has both sides supporting or opposing the physician's assisted suicide. The argument for physician's assisted suicide calls it mercy killing and talks of relieving the terminally ill patient from the pain of the disease. On the other hand, the argument against the physician's assisted suicide suggested chances of misunderstanding thus, overriding the patient's wish to live.

For me, I think they should allow terminally ill patients to die on their own term. When patients and their families want it, they should also need to ask patient. If the patient agrees with their families, then the doctors can end the patient's life. Because that is less painful, and that is also they want to.

2. 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?

ANS: AIDS caregivers should be properly educated about protecting themselves from the virus. Their right to privacy, whether they are infected or not should be completely respected and confidentiality be maintained. The patient can know their care givers infection status only if the caretaker allows it.

3. Describe the distinctions among wrongful birth, wrongful life, and wrongful conception?

ANS: Wrongful birth is the legal calls where parents claim that the doctor failed to completely understand and communicate congenital disease or of their newborn child. It can also be claimed by the abnormal child when he believes that he should not have been born.

Wrongful death is claimed by family when death happens due to negligence by the doctor or medical institutions.

Wrongful conception is claimed by parents when there is a negligent performance by a sterilisation process and consequent pregnancy.

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

ANS: It is important to keep ethical principles in mind while conducting biomedical research on human beings to protect their dignity, rights and welfare. The purpose of research,procedures involved, alternative to participation, all foreseeable risks should be clearly articulated, benefits of the research to the society, time to be taken for the research, person to be contacted in case of any emergency, written consent to be opting that the participation is voluntary. The subjects right to confidentiality and the right to withdraw from participation should be respected.