Ethical Challenges for Real-World Nursing Situations: A Case Study

Case 2: Using Vitro Fertilization to Prevent Inheritable Health Condition


Case 2 includes a couple who desire to have a kid without passing on a health condition that the lady has to the child. The couple decides to use the medical technology of vitro fertilization to have the egg that does not have the gene fertilized and the embryo implanted. Because the illness is inheritable, the couple successfully gives birth to a boy who is free of it. The choice was made due to the danger that if the couple chose to employ natural means through copulation, the child will receive the gene 50% of the time. Therefore, through using available technology, the couple can prevent this from happening and give the child the best health care possible.


Eugenics and Selective Breeding


The case can constitute a situation of eugenics in which human race can improve their offspring's condition through selective breeding. The case indicates a process through which the couple harvests the eggs from the ovary and selects one that is not carrying the gene, before fertilizing it and implanting the embryo. Regarding whether the use of the technology is ethical or not, the medical professional ethics encourage the practitioners to be advancing the knowledge and development of the medical field (Austin, 2010). In this regard, the technology of Vitro fertilization is an advancement of the medical field which provides more solutions to the field such in the practical situation that the couple faces.


Respecting Patient Rights and Professional Ethics


Also, the fact that the couple is not forced by the physicians to have a baby through it, there is no contradiction of the professional ethics in which the physicians have to respect the patient rights and honor their wishes (MedicalAssistantCertification.org, 2017). Therefore, the situation provides a scenario where the doctors want what is best both for the health of the baby and to the couple, based on their guiding practices of the Hippocratic Oath. The couple is also willing to explore the same to provide their child with the best possible outcome. Based on this point of view, it is ethical for the couple to have a child through the technology since there is enough reason for the choice.


Ethical Issues and Controversies


Ethical issues that may arise from the case include whether the parents can also choose the sex of the child, or if the HD condition manifests after giving birth, can it solve the problem? Also, another issue surrounding the case is if it can be ethical to get a child without the necessity to direct their genetic formations. While technology in the medical field can allow one to get the child through embryo transfer, it is not acceptable to choose the sex ethically. The reason is that the moral principles of the society and in the religion, the parents have should not decide on the sex of the child but rather a gift from God. The morals of the society are to accept a child as a blessing love it unconditionally as well as bring it up morally through teaching as a family institution (Gardiner, 2003). Therefore, the basis is not for male or female choices but any gender.


Also, though the condition of the mother will manifest shortly as the child grows, the ethical issue as to whether it is ethically right to get a child who can face the danger while growing up as a result of the situation still exists. The decision to have a child might not be wrong but whether the condition can affect the child through the relations with the mother considering the HD situation has no foundation on reason (Blais & Thompson, 2008). The reason is that there are many other options in which the child can grow without the condition of the mother affecting their lives or that of the husband.


Conclusion


In conclusion, the choice of the couple to have the baby through the means is ethical. The reason for having the child through Vitro fertilization does not contradict morals of the society or that of the code of ethics for the practitioners. Though ethical dilemmas are surrounding the growth of the child based on the mother's condition and the possibility of the symptoms manifesting, there are other options in which the child can grow in a safe environment. Also, if the technology could not have existed, then there are chances they might not have conceived a child because it is not the wish of the parent to affect a child's health intentionally when they understand the condition the wife has currently.

References


Austin, M. (2010). Dealing with Moral Dilemmas. Retrieved 6 June 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethics-everyone/201007/dealing-moral-dilemmas


Blais, A., & Thompson, M. (2008). Resolving ethical dilemmas: Exploring the role of moral principles. Retrieved 6 June 2017, from


Gardiner, P. (2003). A virtue ethics approach to moral dilemmas in medicine. Journal Of Medical Ethics, 29(5), 297-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.29.5.297


MedicalAssistantCertification.org. (2017). The Best Practices in Medical Ethics. MedicalAssistantCertification.org. Retrieved 6 June 2017, from http://www.medicalassistantcertification.org/medical-ethics/

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