Question

Question 4: In 400 words choose three ethical principles from the following list and give a detailed discussion about the Case Study below, Autonomy, Justice, Consequentialism, Prima Facie Duties, Mature Minor, Principle of Utility, Mills principle of liberty. Case Study: Benny is 15 years old. He was born with an enlarged, malfunctioning liver and an enlarged spleen. When he was eight years old he had his first liver transplant and for the following five years Benny took a drug called cyclosporin to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ. When the medication no longer worked, doctors performed a second transplant and prescribed an experimental anti-rejection drug that affected his normal activities due to side effects of headaches and irritability. Without this drug, his system would reject the new liver and Benny would ultimately die. Against his doctor’s and parent’s wishes, Benny decreased his dosage and eventually stopped taking the medication altogether. Although Benny's mother initially disagreed with him, she eventually supported his decision. When his doctors discovered this, the hospital filed a petition under Florida's child neglect statute and Benny was removed from his home and taken to the hospital. Benny has continued to refuse the medication and fought off the staff when any treatments or tests are attempted. Should Benny be allowed to refuse his medication? Why or why not?

Answer 1

The three ethical principles choosed here are:

1. Autonomy : In nursing autonomy means that one has the right to take decisions about there life and not need of a second opinion.

2.Justice: In nursing justice means that there should be fairness in taking the medical decisions.In giving the treatment one should take a fair decision in order to have a good health care.

3.Mature minor : In nursing mature minor means the minor has every right to take a mature decision without there parents concern. This is a American laew.The patient can either refuse or can take the treatment.And also there is enough right to do so.

According to this case study Benny a 15 year old child had refused to take the medication and according to me Benny has the right to refuse because there are some rights of medication and in that one of the right is to right to refuse the medication. He was having his first surgery when he was 8 years old. At that time also the medication was not reacting to the body.So that the doctors had preferred for the second surgery and again a medicine was prescribed and the same happened here.There was no response from the body. But this time there was side-effects from the medicine. Where his daily activities were disturbed by headache and irritability. This can be the reason for Benny to stop the medications.He has already been undergone two surgeries where he had suffered a lot of pain but if the medications are also not responding to the body the automatically the patient will start refusing the medications.

But the doctors and staff can help him by giving psychological support and also they can start another medicine by giving decreased dose first then if the body responds then eventually we can start to increase the dose.

Here the ethical issues related to this case study are: Autonomy that is the patient has the right to make decisions. Because it is his life.One cannot interfere in others life. So the patient can decisions.

The next one is justice. The medical team here should take a fair decision about the treatment. One should give good care to the patient to bring up a good IPR( Interpersonal relationship).

The next one is mature minor.Here the patient is minor and we can see that the patient is taking the decision.This is an American law that a minor can take a mature decision without there parents concern.