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The Ethical Dilemma Of The Medical Field

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An ethical dilemma is a situation that involves a mental conflict between moral obligations and imperatives whereby one obeying them may transgress another. For a situation to be termed as an ethical dilemma; an ‘agent’ must make a decision regarding an action they perceive best. Also, there must be a variety of different course of action that one can choose from, and that regardless of the course of action taken in the situation an ethical principle must be compromised. It means that in an ethical dilemma, there is no perfect solution. One primary source of ethical dilemmas in the medical field today is Euthanasia. Euthanasia is a process that entails deliberately ending a person’s life, with the intention of relieving their pain and…show more content…
They argue that it should be accepted both morally and legally in aspects surrounding severely ailing patients. There are three ethical approaches that could be used in solving ethical issues. They include: • Deontological ethical approach • Teleological ethical approach • Virtue-Based Approach Deontological approach The approach builds up from the idea that the most ethical choice is one that is morally right in the prospective society. It argues that some actions should not be permitted despite their consequences (Waluchow, 2003).In a situation where one is suffering from a terminal illness and are in extreme pain, they may request for an assisted suicide. Is it unethical or immoral to grant someone assisted suicide as a way to relieve their pain? The big question remains. Should anyone be granted a mercy killing? Primarily, the society admits that it is morally wrong to kill another human being. Killing someone else is an offense that with serious consequences under the law (Hinman, 2012). The society, however, needs to differentiate Euthanasia from the killing of an innocent person. Recognizing that Euthanasia is done on request of the individual, who is suffering, would bring out a different point of view regarding Euthanasia. Unlike most ethical theories, in society, life is made up of different expectation Teleological Ethical Approach The approach is more concerned with the consequence of an action (Waluchow, 2003).
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