ETHL 445 Week 5: Ethical Dilemma
Ethics Paper
Week 5
ETHC 445
Today a decision needs to be made. We have three patients who are in dire need of a heart transplant and there is only one heart available. Decisions like this are never easy to make and there is no right answer, because no matter the choice there will be two people left with little hope to live. However it is my duty and my responsibility to make that choice in a timely manner so that someone may benefit from the heart that is available. The first patient is a 55 year old father of three by the name of Jerry. He is a mid-level manager at a carpet distributing company and the sole financial supporter of his family. His wife is a stay-at-home mother, and Jerry is five years away from retirement. He has a 19 year old child in college as well as a 14 year old and 16 year old child. His youngest is mildly autistic. We …show more content…
project that Jerry’s chances of living another 15 years with a new heart are very high. His heart was damaged when he was in his early 20’s due to steroid use while he was into bodybuilding. Our second patient is a 12 year old girl named Lisa. She has suffered health related issues nearly her entire life due to viral infections and immune deficiency. Her heart had stopped last year during a fight with pneumonia and although she was saved, her heart was severely damaged. She is the only child in her family, and her father works at this hospital as an oncologist. He has offered to donate $2 million to the hospital if his daughter gets to heart. However, even with a new heart, Lisa’s chances of surviving into her 20’s are not good. The third and final patient is a 38 year old single man, Ozzie. He has no family and has lived homeless for at least the past ten years. He is a crack cocaine addict and that drug abuse is responsible for his heart condition. Ozzie has shown signs of turning things around recently with his involvement with troubled teens at a local homework and tutoring hangout. He has also signed a contract with a charity that states he will continue his involvement as a mentor for these children if he receives the heart. If he receives the heart and stays off drugs, he could live at least another ten years. Without the heart, he will likely die within a month. As a doctor, it is my wish to save all three patients.
However, I only have the ability to save one at this time. It is during impossible circumstances like these that we should consider the advice of those who came before us. John Stuart Mill was a noted English philosopher during the 19th century who followed a utilitarian approach to such dilemmas. He believed that the right answer was the one which would help the most people. St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who taught us to follow our conscience, to follow our heart and do what we believe is right. We cannot know the future, and I do not know what will happen to the person who receives the heart or to the people who do not receive it. All three patients do have similarities. They all have a similar life expectancy if they receive the heart; approximately ten to fifteen years, or possibly more. They all have either family or friends who will miss them very dearly should they die. Finally, they all face death should they be denied this heart, and that is a fact that does not go unnoticed by
me. I will follow the words of JS Mill and St. Aquinas. I will follow my heart and make the decision that will help the most people in the end. That is why I have decided to give the heart to Lisa. She is a young and innocent child who has an entire life ahead of her. The extra years she will gain with this heart will give time for her other ailments to be either treated or, hopefully, cured. The donation from her father will go on to help countless others who would otherwise be left without care. In my attempt to help as many people as possible, this was the only logical choice. I felt that the risk of giving a healthy heart to Ozzie was too great. He has been a crack cocaine addict for many years, and we cannot give him the heart for the same reasons we do not give an alcoholic a liver, nor a smoker a new lung. While Jerry was also a suitable candidate for the heart, he is much older than Lisa. While I wish I could give a heart to them both, I believe that saving Lisa right now will be for the greatest good.
References
Ruggiero, V. R. (2008). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. McGraw Hill.
Week 5
ETHC 445
Today a decision needs to be made. We have three patients who are in dire need of a heart transplant and there is only one heart available. Decisions like this are never easy to make and there is no right answer, because no matter the choice there will be two people left with little hope to live. However it is my duty and my responsibility to make that choice in a timely manner so that someone may benefit from the heart that is available. The first patient is a 55 year old father of three by the name of Jerry. He is a mid-level manager at a carpet distributing company and the sole financial supporter of his family. His wife is a stay-at-home mother, and Jerry is five years away from retirement. He has a 19 year old child in college as well as a 14 year old and 16 year old child. His youngest is mildly autistic. We …show more content…
project that Jerry’s chances of living another 15 years with a new heart are very high. His heart was damaged when he was in his early 20’s due to steroid use while he was into bodybuilding. Our second patient is a 12 year old girl named Lisa. She has suffered health related issues nearly her entire life due to viral infections and immune deficiency. Her heart had stopped last year during a fight with pneumonia and although she was saved, her heart was severely damaged. She is the only child in her family, and her father works at this hospital as an oncologist. He has offered to donate $2 million to the hospital if his daughter gets to heart. However, even with a new heart, Lisa’s chances of surviving into her 20’s are not good. The third and final patient is a 38 year old single man, Ozzie. He has no family and has lived homeless for at least the past ten years. He is a crack cocaine addict and that drug abuse is responsible for his heart condition. Ozzie has shown signs of turning things around recently with his involvement with troubled teens at a local homework and tutoring hangout. He has also signed a contract with a charity that states he will continue his involvement as a mentor for these children if he receives the heart. If he receives the heart and stays off drugs, he could live at least another ten years. Without the heart, he will likely die within a month. As a doctor, it is my wish to save all three patients.
However, I only have the ability to save one at this time. It is during impossible circumstances like these that we should consider the advice of those who came before us. John Stuart Mill was a noted English philosopher during the 19th century who followed a utilitarian approach to such dilemmas. He believed that the right answer was the one which would help the most people. St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who taught us to follow our conscience, to follow our heart and do what we believe is right. We cannot know the future, and I do not know what will happen to the person who receives the heart or to the people who do not receive it. All three patients do have similarities. They all have a similar life expectancy if they receive the heart; approximately ten to fifteen years, or possibly more. They all have either family or friends who will miss them very dearly should they die. Finally, they all face death should they be denied this heart, and that is a fact that does not go unnoticed by
me. I will follow the words of JS Mill and St. Aquinas. I will follow my heart and make the decision that will help the most people in the end. That is why I have decided to give the heart to Lisa. She is a young and innocent child who has an entire life ahead of her. The extra years she will gain with this heart will give time for her other ailments to be either treated or, hopefully, cured. The donation from her father will go on to help countless others who would otherwise be left without care. In my attempt to help as many people as possible, this was the only logical choice. I felt that the risk of giving a healthy heart to Ozzie was too great. He has been a crack cocaine addict for many years, and we cannot give him the heart for the same reasons we do not give an alcoholic a liver, nor a smoker a new lung. While Jerry was also a suitable candidate for the heart, he is much older than Lisa. While I wish I could give a heart to them both, I believe that saving Lisa right now will be for the greatest good.
References
Ruggiero, V. R. (2008). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. McGraw Hill.