Medical Ethics Test #1

Morals

general beliefs abt whats right and wrong

Ethics

how to act in a particular situation

virtue ethics

-how we should manage out “good” character traits

-requires experience, guesswork, and precision

-ex. faith can be good, but harmful to a certain extent

natural law

-people should act in accordance to what’s biologically natural

-not clear what’s “natural” and “unnatural”

-ex. religion in medical spaces, all humans should procreate

deontology

-following universal moral codes

-rules can conflict

-ex. superman, golden rule

utilitariansim

-the outcome is what’s most important

-can’t always predict the outcome

-ex. batman, lying to nazis to save jewish lives

A “right”

an entitlement (not) to act or (not) to be in a certain state. for others (not) to perform certain actions.

-who has the right?

-what actions/states/objects are in question?

-why is there a right?

human

scientific term people have created to describe a certain type of biological being.

person

a being regarded as a “person” through society or legal systems (consciousness, rights, and responsibilities)

ARTs

any technology in which (human) eggs/embryos are manipulated with the intent of creating a human child

infertility

the inability to achieve pregnancy after 1yr of unprotected heterosexual sex

3 main types of ARTs

-removal of eggs from ovaries

-combining them w/ sperm in a lab setting

-implantation in the uterus of the egg donor or another body capable of carrying a pregnancy to term

ethical issues/concerns with ARTs

-when does life begin?

-does it have the “right” to exist?

-how should costs be regulated/should everyone have access?

-how should extra embryos be treated?

-should you be responsible for your actions that affect the fetus?

-informing ppl of their birth and parentage

3-fold elective abortion argument

-does a developing fetus have the right to exist

-that obligates the pregnant person to care for the fetus and self during pregnancy

-such that the moral right of the fetus overrides the moral right of the pregnant person to direct their own life and reproductive choices

pros for elective abortion

-people should be able to direct their own lives

-the fetus shouldn’t be put over the pregnant person

-law doesn’t stop abortion, just criminalizes it and makes it unsafe

cons for elective abortion

-humans have a “right” to exist

-fetus can’t protect/defend themselves

-potential for personhood (can survive outside of womb at 23 weeks)

Roe v. Wade

-made abortion a constitutional right

-decision based off of ‘a defense of abortion’, cannot be forced to care for another (dying violinist analogy)

-right to privacy, 14th amendment

Dobbs v. Jackson

-abortion no longer a constitutional right

-did not make abortion illegal, it is up to the states