ethics final exam

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1 Jacob McGinnis Dr. Michael Gentzel Biomedical Ethics 12/17/2023 Biomedical Second Take Home Exam Section A: Define and Explain (20 points) 1. Explain the difference between patient autonomy and customer sovereignty, according to Miller, Brody, and Chung. Why is this difference morally significant in their argument against the permissibility of cosmetic surgery? Customer sovereignty is when a consumer has the ability to decide how their money is spent, but patient autonomy is when the patient themselves makes their own decisions regarding how they will be cared for after being informed of all the possible forms of treatment. The main difference between the two is the patient autonomy cannot demand any cosmetic surgery. Miller, Brody, and Chung all feel as though that those cosmetic surgeries are very unnecessary due to the many health risks and factors that come with it. The main true goal of healthcare is to prevent any injuries, if possible, and save peoples lives and cosmetic surgery simply does not apply to those rules. It is mainly used to fix someone’s appearance, but usually no health benefit for them. Word count: 129 2. R.B. Brandt argues that it is possible for suicide to be morally and rationally defensible, under certain conditions. (a) Explain the conditions under which suicide could be rational, (b) briefly describe an example of rational suicide, and then (c) provide two reasons he gives for thinking that a person suffering from depression may not be equipped to judge their situation. R.B. Brandt talks about how there are certain conditions that make suicide moral and rational. An example of this would be sacrificing yourself for the greater good of other people. He even gave an example like this when he talked about a story about a plane engine failing. The pilot needed to decide whether or not he would land the plane which would kill him but save everyone else, or vice versa. Brandt said that if he chose that first option, it would be considered moral and rational. He also made an argument that someone who is suffering from depression is not fully equipped to judge their situation. Brandt talks about how people who are depressed usually do not view the positive side, only the negative, and lack any normal judgement because they cannot see a future. Depression can change the decision that they

2 might make because they might say suicide is the best option for them in the moment. Word count: 160 Section B: Opposing Side (30 points) 1. Claudia Mills argues against prescribing Ritalin to children when it is not medically necessary. (a) Briefly explain one of her normative claims in support of her argument and then (b) raise an objection to one of her claims from the opposing view. Claudia Mills is against prescribing Ritalin to children when it is not medically necessary. Ritalin is a drug prescribed to the children that are not able to keep focused and calm, but mainly in school. Mills believes that Ritalin takes that child’s creativity and individuality away from them. She talks about how people expect those children to act like an adult, instead of them acting their age and enjoying their childhood. Given those reasons, Mills is extremely against giving kids this kind of medication and that there are plenty of other ways to calm a child down that does not involve a drug. There is also an objection to her view. Some may wonder what about those children who are diagnosed with ADHD, because they are actually different from a kid being a kid from what Mills says. ADHD does not allow them to focus on the task given, which will negatively impact their learning experience. Doctors recommend prescribing this medication for kids who have ADHD because it can allow them to focus more in class and will not harm them. Word count: 181 2. Robert Wachbroit defends the ethical permissibility of technology to clone human beings. (a) Briefly describe one of his reasons and then (b) develop an objection against his argument (without restating objections by Kass and others that he considers). According to Wachbroit, cloning has been very misunderstood by the people. There are quite a few of false beliefs that circulate around cloning. Cloning humans has not been assessed and many people raise concerns about the failure of cloning and the ethics regarding it. Wachbroit questions it by talking about if it is successful and if couple can have the child of their dreams. Wachbroit continues by mentioning two similar technologies that are assisted reproductive technology and genetic engineering. Genetic engineering creates an opportunity for parents to create genetic characteristics. Assistive reproductive technologies help couples who struggle to have a child. If both of these are ethical, then Wachbroit concludes that cloning is ethical as well. However, is reproductive and genetic engineering actually ethical? There are other arguments that propose that they are just as unethical as cloning is. Also, other people might argue that cloning messes with the work of God.

3 Word count: 152 Section C: Case Studies (50 points, 25 points each) 1. CASE 13 (Page 712-3), Crouch and Tucker In case thirteen, “Would a cochlear implant be best for our child” talks about a deaf couple who are new parents. Mary and Sean McG had a deaf newborn child, and they were not expecting that. They relied heavily upon American Sign Language to talk to their child because cochlear surgery was not an option for them at the time. However, when they discovered that cochlear surgery was available for their child, they were ecstatic to be able to give their child a sense of normality in its life. Deafness is a hearing disability that makes it extremely difficult for those who are deaf to thrive in a society or a community that mostly contains non-deaf people. The problem in case thirteen is that many friends and family members of Sean and Mary strongly disagree with that cochlear surgery. Also, the deaf community itself is also against cochlear surgery because they feel as though the people who are deaf should take pride in it. They talk about how deaf should not be fixed and should be widely accepted in society and in their culture. They both see both sides and are now confused with making a decision for their child so young, they do not know if they should wait until they are older so they can make their own choice in regard to the surgery. But there is a higher success rate with the surgery being done at an early age compared to waiting until they are older. In case thirteen, Crouch would choose the side that was taken by the friends, community, and family who believe its wrong for the deaf baby to have cochlear implant surgery. Crouch goes on to say that deafness should not be seen as something so negative and so impossible to get around when it is more than a disability. He talks about how there are plenty of diverse ways to communicate with deafness, like sign language for example. He believes that deafness should be looked at like a culture and embraced among the people. Crouch believes that people should never change how they were born. He further explains it that those children who receive the surgery for the implants still will not be able to speak very well. They should use sign language and the parents should learn with the child on how to communicate using sign language. Crouch’s view on this is that he would disagree with the parents’ decision for the child to get the surgery for it and side with the friends, family, and the community.

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4 On the contrary, Bonnie Tucker would side with the parents on their decision for their child to receive the surgery for the implants. Tucker feels as though you can still have the surgery for it while also embracing their deaf culture. By no means is it disgraceful to be able to want a normal life while being deaf, given that most people can hear decently well. Also, Tucker talks about how she is also deaf and feels as though the surgery should not be frowned upon. She believes that no one should ever be judged for their decision, or even viewed differently, because they want to live better and have a better quality of life. Bonnie talks about how great of an opportunity it is for the deaf community because it could enhance their lives, and they should not receive any negative feedback from the deaf community. Word count: 574 3. CASE 32 (Page 722), Kass (Implications of Prenatal Diagnosis) and Purdy In case thirty-two, “A fetus with Turner’s Syndrome” Circulates around a lady named Barbara and her story. Barbara is a 37-year-old married female and has a healthy four-year-old child. Barbara is also 20 weeks pregnant and was told not long before that her child has Turners Syndrome. Turners Syndrome is an X chromosome syndrome that causes specific characteristics that involve moles and a webbing neck. Those are the less serious issues. The more serious ones from Turners Syndrome include fertilization, menstruation, the aorta, and failure for the ovaries to fully develop. That child can still live an exceptionally good life with the syndrome. But the problem is if Barbara should keep the child or if she should consider having an abortion following the news she just received. Leon Kass would most definitely disagree with Barbara choosing to have an abortion because of the Turners Syndrome. That choice pretty much proclaims that anyone with a disability should have been aborted because they are unwanted because of it. Also, this would rupture the equality of the people who were born with any kind of disability. With time, this can create an awful thought of aborting children with disabilities. Because if on person does it, more will continue, making it “normal”. This also creates a huge problem, when is it deemed to be too far? Furthermore, genetic testing abortion is also extremely corrupt and Kass feels as though choosing to have an abortion for that reason is very wrong. Meaning that a woman who is pregnant with a child that has autism can basically choose to have an abortion because of it, which, according to Kass, is tremendously wrong. In regard to case thirty-two, that child with Turners Syndrome would still be able to live a good life. They will be able to receive support from their parents and have an opportunity to receive disability money from the government to help cover any medical costs if they would be eligible for it. Anyone with a disability can still live a good life with the right care. On the contrary, Lauren Purdy feels as though it is okay to abort the child because of the given disability. She also believes that it is incredibly wrong to give birth to a child while knowing there is a disability that can affect their lives. Purdy talks about how it would not give the child a chance to have a normal life compared to those who are not disabled. There is a chance that they might

5 struggle with everyday activities like walking, eating, or even going to the bathroom. Moreover, Purdy thinks that genetic testing must be completed prior to reproduction to limit the chance of a baby being born with any given disability. The disability Purdy talked about was Huntington’s disease which can cause a brain breakdown. Huntington’s disease can affect how a person functions and also their cognitive abilities. Purdy also talks about how awful it would be to give birth to a child knowing that they have Huntington’s disease because of how terrible it is and how unfair it is to the child. Purdy believes that adopting a baby is the best route to take if you genuinely wanted a baby, but only if genetic testing shows a significantly higher risk of a disability occurring during pregnancy. Word count: 553

ethics final exam

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