Final Exam
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Final Exam (Take-Home) Phil 2100 081/082 Fateye Oluwakorede 201954922
Ethical theory does not have a useful role to play in dealing with practical
problems in medical ethics. YES OR NO
Ethics are complex, sensitive issues that influence how our community thinks. Many critics claim that applying ethical theory to real-world issues in medical ethics is not helpful. I believe that practical concerns, which are issues that relate to the actual doing or using of something rather than to theory and concepts, are important but vary in the process of making medical decisions. When it comes to analysing critical issues in the field of medical ethics, ethical theory is one of the primary important elements surrounding it. The importance of ethics has become clear in the everyday behaviours we engage in. Therefore, it is incorrect to think that ethics only apply in cases of death and that life is irrelevant to medical professionals in their line of work. This paper is a discussion of whether ethical theories have an imperative role to play in addressing practical complications in medical ethics or not and I will be arguing to support it as ethics plays a key role in the decision making within medical practices.
Strict ethical standards are considered on a number of platforms in order to provide results that are credible and won't be detrimental to the decision-makers' and their subjects' sense of morality. Moral decisions are those that are right for both the decision-makers and the people who might be affected by them, not simply those that seem right to us personally. Ethics is the study of good and bad, or right and wrong. In other words, studying ethics is attempting to comprehend a set of philosophical standards that set apart each particular viewpoint. It also establishes social norms for what behaviours are seen acceptable in society as
excellent, unacceptable, right, or wrong. When evaluating our acts, "right" and "wrong" apply most naturally. But ethics is more than simply behaviour; it also involves evaluating others. Considering this, it is critical that we comprehend what constitutes a person, particularly before
engaging in any contentious or challenging decision-making processes. Numerous views on the concept of personhood offer justification for defining precisely what makes a person.
The important takeaway is not that there are ethical disagreements, but rather that ethical theory is a requirement that is essential in medical decision-making.
Some decisions are difficult to evaluate when a person's ability to speak for themselves is in doubt as a result of a medical problem they are dealing with, in the sense that they are unable to consciously make decisions for themselves owing to their condition of health. We have to call on ethical theory to analyse the circumstance and, eventually, to offer guidance for the decision-making process when an individual is placed in a situation where they have lost the power to make their own judgments. For example, in a case where a person is in a state of
coma where they cannot speak for themselves in most cases this is passed on to their caretakers to speak on their behalf, most times their parents. Cases have come up where other treatments have been brought up to the parents to try and resuscitate the person’s life and without it might lead to the end of their life, but we have many cases of parents putting it off and not allowing the patient to have the treatment probably due to some belief they hold on too. In this case one would argue that there is no need for ethical standards and a moral point of view since the decision is being made by their caretakers and they should know best, but by medical practice, the fact that there is a chance of survival with the treatment and no adverse effects if it’s not giving would bring forth the idea of it being considered. The patient is unable to speak for himself so is the decision of the caretaker more important than the diagnostics of the doctor, this is where ethical standards would come in to help in making a decision on the matter. Other cases and scenarios come to mind when explaining this concept. One controversial aspect in medical ethics is the idea of organ donation. There are several ways that organs can be transplanted, as well as numerous circumstances in which organs might be given. There are many kinds of organ transplants, and they can happen whether the donor is alive or not. If a person's organs are to be given, there are numerous ethical theories to take into account, independent of practicalities, similar to the discussion around autonomy. The choice to donate organs would be left to the donor's next of kin if they were unconscious, in a vegetative condition, or on life support because their heart had stopped (omitting the idea of pre-consent. To determine whether a person's organs are morally appropriate for donation, the question of
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what exactly defines a person and if that person is no longer alive must be addressed. The rationale for these judgments once more draws on significant ethical theory in situational analysis. Each of the key medical ethics-related issues we've examined in this course calls for careful consideration of ethical theory throughout both the evaluation and decision-making stages. Additionally, in these contentious domains, the idea of personhood is frequently articulated. As was stressed throughout the aforementioned sections, a more thorough examination of what constitutes a person is necessary in order to create some form of definition or criteria that are then taken into account throughout the ethical decision-making process. The topic of what makes a person must be addressed in order to advance medical ethics, which is not a simple task given the wide range of ideas, scenarios, and other elements that may affect it. Therefore, in order to address real-world issues in medical ethics, ethical theories are crucial. They aid in the formulation of logical judgments that not only seek to produce favourable outcomes but also guarantee the satisfaction of all stakeholders. To avoid situations of confusing medical judgments, medical professionals should incorporate ethical ideas at every stage of their decision-making process.