Cochlear Implants Case Study

I. The Questions The current ethical debate being discussed focuses on biomedicine’s involvement in quality of life issues. Biomedicine is a branch of medical science that applies biological and other natural-scientific principles to clinical practice. Now these interventions are specifically directed to alter, eliminate, or correct non-life threatening conditions. Cochlear implants are a technology in the branch of Biomedicine, which attempts to cure deafness. When surgically implanted and given specific appropriate conditions, this instrument can help provide some sense of sound to persons who naturally cannot hear. Cochlear Implants also known as CIs create:
Acoustic signals, which are received by an external microphone and transmitted, to a CCU placed outside the skull. A CCU contains a speech processor and a wireless transmitter that generates electrical impulses. These are sent wirelessly to a receiver inside the skull and stimulate the auditory nerve at the internal neural interface an electrode implanted into the cochlea in the inner ear. (Clausen, p. 1081) In 1990, the U.S food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of cochlear implants for deaf
Most speech and sounds experienced by these individuals with the implant are not clear. To give the child the best possible future, I support the bi-bi theory. This stands for bi-lingual, bi-cultural. By following this method the child is able to practice and acquire fluency in both languages, English and American Sign Language (ASL). This will eliminate the result-oriented operation and no feelings of shame are placed on the child if they are an oral “failure”. With this method no one language is pushed upon the child and they are able to have the knowledge and self-identity to choose for themselves later in life, who they are, and whether the cochlear implant is a part of that future for them or