Fetal Abnormality Case Study

Jessica 's case is one of the mixed worldview of values on her unborn fetus where her moral compass is influenced by her materialism and spirituality akin to Marco. She follows both the theory that only sentient animals have moral status and the theory that all living organisms have moral status (Sebo, n.d.). According to Wilson (1994), “the fetus is entitled to some degree of moral respect, especially after it has developed for a few weeks”. For instance, Jessica is revealed as wavering between selecting what is erroneous and correct. She anticipates an improved socioeconomic life but similarly trusts that every life is consecrated.

Moral status is a bioethical concept that concerns the type of beings that possess rights, like human beings. There are five distinct viewpoints, or theories, that help in determining moral status. These theories include: a theory based on human properties, a theory based on cognitive properties, a theory based on moral agency, a theory based on sentience, and a theory based on relationships (HLT-302 Introduction 2, 2015). In the case study, a situation in which a fetus develops a rare condition where its quality of life would be poor is presented. The physician (Dr. Wilson), aunt (Maria), mother (Jessica), and father (Marco) all share different viewpoints that make the process of determining a final plan of action very difficult.

Science tells us that from the moment of fertilization, a fetus is a human. Despite this, however, there is a swarm of controversy surrounding question, when does a fetus become a human? Many people believe that once a baby is conceived, it is considered a living human being. Many of these people believe that whether or not a fetus is a human is chiefly a scientific question. “The question as to when a human being begins is strictly a scientific question, and should be answered by human embryologists - not by philosophers, bioethicists, theologians, politicians, x-ray technicians, movie stars or obstetricians and gynecologists” (Irving). While Irving has a valid point in saying that whether or not a fetus is a human is a question mainly for

Bertha, M. (2014). Pro-Life, Pro-Choice : Shared Values in the Abortion Debate. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. https://fortlewis.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search- ebscohost-com.fortlewis.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edspmu&AN=edspmu.9780826519924&site=eds-live&scope=site Throughout this book, Bertha claims that she is for pro choice, but at the end of the reading, she states that she has changed her beliefs to pro life. This specific author performed studies, exams, courses, and clinicals and discovered the facts about the harm that takes place to your body after having an abortion. Bertha discusses the hard, mental griefs and traumas that follow the procedure, as well as the uneasy argument about the virtuous worth of the human fetus. The author brings experience to the discussion through the psychological department, being an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies at Arizona State University, as well as having written many informative and knowledgeable articles.

DOI: 11/3/2016. Patient is a 54-year-old male maintenance worker who sustained injury when he lifted heavy trash bags out of a garbage can and strained his neck. Per OMNI entry, he was initially diagnosed with neck strain.

Proponents of punishing pregnant women, who put their fetuses at risk, have highlighted some pertinent legal and ethical issues. One is that a viable fetus (fetus after 27 weeks gestation) has certain rights and privileges. They are of the opinion that as soon as the fetus is viable and can survive independently from it mother, it becomes a

In this essay, the morality of the abortion of a fetus will be discussed in a drama involving a married couple named Deb and Derek (Smolkin, Bourgeois & Findler, 2010). For clarification purposes, we must first define the topic of this discussion; abortion is defined as the act in which a female voluntarily terminates her pregnancy where this act is legally permitted (Warren, 1973). Deb who is 16 weeks pregnant discovers that the fetus she is carrying will most likely be born mentally challenged (Smolkin et al., 2010). As the drama unfolds, the couple ponders the negative impact this child will have on their business, marriage as well as the quality of life that their child will experience if it is carried to term (Smolkin

opposite claim; that the unborn child, because it is a developing human being, possesses a moral status

Introduction Severe abnormalities discovered during prenatal screening, can create a dilemma for the parents as well the medical practitioners. According to Warren (1997), " Moral status is a means of specifying entities or beings towards which we believe ourselves to have moral obligations, as well as something of what we take those obligations to be " (p. 9). This paper will explore the moral status of the fetus based on the five moral theories, “human properties”, “cognitive properties”, “moral agency”, “sentience” and “relationships”. Fetal Abnormality Case Study The actors in this case study Jessica, Marco, Aunt Maria and Dr. Wilson all have varying beliefs on the moral status of the fetus, but ultimately Jessica and Marco have to decide

One of the key components that we have developed and use is the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient. One important starting point throughout the

Even if a fetus is defined as a human being because it has a potential life, if the fetus does not yet aspire to live. It is impossible to argue that the fetus values its future yet, so why should it have a right to it?

The advancement of medical technology has made it possible to detect medical abnormalities while a child is still a fetus and can create difficult choices for parents to make if severe anomalies are discovered. There are many theories regarding the moral status of the fetus that can be applied when deciding how to proceed if these abnormalities are detected. In the fetal abnormality case study, Jessica, Marco, Maria, and Dr. Wilson each have varying opinions on what course of action to take based on these different theories of moral status.

Imagine a mother was pregnant with her first child, but was living in Love Canal, New York. Her life just could not seem to be better, she had an amazing husband and was about to have her first baby. The child was born with a cleft lip, extra fingers and toes, and mental retardation. That mother would probably still love that baby unconditionally, but how would she feel knowing that her baby’s whole life has been drastically changed and she did not know why. Later in the child’s life the mother finds out that her child will always have physical and mental limitations because of Hooker Chemical Company. This is what was happening, to not just one, but many families who lived in Love Canal, New York. The whole town, adults and children of all

In 2002, a case-control study was started in Brittanny, France. The candidates were women who were well into their second trimester (Douglas). Out of this study, they concluded that 79 out of the 580 babies were born with birth defects (Douglas). The mothers were questioned about their home lives and their hobbies, along with their occupation. Twenty-nine percent of the women were found to be exposed to these solvents based on the products they use in their home while twenty-one percent of women were exposed to harmful products through their profession (Douglas). “Women who reported regular exposure to solvents were four times more likely to have a baby with an oral cleft as compared to women who did not report regular exposure. Using job

Almost in general expecting a child can bring a lot of joy not only to the father and mother but to family and friends. But sometimes family find themselves in a dilemma of dealing with fetal abnormality. The joy can turn to sorrow and difficulty to accept the reality of having to deal with a handicap child all his life can torn the whole family. In this case study Jessica, Marco and the doctor are using the the utilitarian theory to determine the moral status of the fetus with the exception of Aunt Maria who is using the theory of care. The utilitarian theory according to its goal is to justify the utilitarian principle as the foundation of ethics. Saying that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote complete human happiness.