Legal and Ethical Issues
Running head: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN MY SISTER’S KEEPER
Legal and Ethical Issues in My Sister’s Keeper
Detra Smith
Med 149: Medical Ethics
Abstract
In this paper I am going to identify some the legal and ethical issues in My Sister’s Keeper. Some of those issues include emancipation of a minor, genetic engineering, and limited termination of parental rights. I will be giving my opinion on these matters also.
My Sister’s Keeper is about a family who conceives a child strictly for the use as bone marrow donor for her gravely ill older sister. Kate is diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia at the age of two. As their doctor tells them of their options, he asks Sara and Brian, the parents, have they thought about having another child who would be a “match” for Kate. The doctor goes on to tell them that he is not legally supposed to tell them about this option. He tells them that they could “design” their child so she would match Kate, since none of the other family members are a match and it would probably be years before a match would be found on the transplant list. So Anna is created. Genetic engineering is the manipulation of DNA within the cells of plants and animals, through synthesis, alteration, or repair, to ensure that certain harmful traits will be eliminated in offspring and that desirable traits will appear and be passed on. From the time Anna was born, she was poked and prodded for stems cells and bone marrow. As she gets older she realizes what is going to eventually happen to her and why her parents “brought” her into this world, when they had so much more to deal with. She doesn’t come to this conclusion on her own, Kate has a hand in helping Anna figure it, even though she is a very smart child. I am not in favor of genetically engineering children. I find it ethically wrong. You are going against God’s will. God has planned all of us even before conception. That’s my belief and what I have been taught. In
Legal and Ethical Issues in My Sister’s Keeper
Detra Smith
Med 149: Medical Ethics
Abstract
In this paper I am going to identify some the legal and ethical issues in My Sister’s Keeper. Some of those issues include emancipation of a minor, genetic engineering, and limited termination of parental rights. I will be giving my opinion on these matters also.
My Sister’s Keeper is about a family who conceives a child strictly for the use as bone marrow donor for her gravely ill older sister. Kate is diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia at the age of two. As their doctor tells them of their options, he asks Sara and Brian, the parents, have they thought about having another child who would be a “match” for Kate. The doctor goes on to tell them that he is not legally supposed to tell them about this option. He tells them that they could “design” their child so she would match Kate, since none of the other family members are a match and it would probably be years before a match would be found on the transplant list. So Anna is created. Genetic engineering is the manipulation of DNA within the cells of plants and animals, through synthesis, alteration, or repair, to ensure that certain harmful traits will be eliminated in offspring and that desirable traits will appear and be passed on. From the time Anna was born, she was poked and prodded for stems cells and bone marrow. As she gets older she realizes what is going to eventually happen to her and why her parents “brought” her into this world, when they had so much more to deal with. She doesn’t come to this conclusion on her own, Kate has a hand in helping Anna figure it, even though she is a very smart child. I am not in favor of genetically engineering children. I find it ethically wrong. You are going against God’s will. God has planned all of us even before conception. That’s my belief and what I have been taught. In
References: Judson, K., & Harrison, C. Law & Ethics for Medical Careers 5th Edition. Pacheco, Chuck (Producer), & Cassavetes, Nick (Director). (2009). My Sister’s Keeper. [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros.