Analyzing the Moral and Ethical Aspects of a Biomedical Ethics Case Study

Running head: HEALTH CARE
Health Care
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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HEALTH CARE
Introduction
Biomedical ethics holds a significant part in the domain of quality healthcare service
delivery (Thomas & Waluchow, 1998). The following assignment aims to critically analyse
the moral and the ethical aspects associated with the case study highlighted in the A Case
Study Approach to Biomedical Ethics by Thomas and Waluchow (1998). In doing this, the
assignment will initiate by highlighting the major facts and agents of the case study followed
by the moral issues raised in the case study. Following this descriptions, the assignment will
critically analyze the response of the major agents of the case study in relation to the issues.
The second part of the assignment will focus on the writer’s personal resolution along with
valid justification in reference to the major theory of morale. The critical analysis of this case
study will help to get a detailed insight of the moral controversies in the healthcare service
delivery.
Major facts highlighted in the case study
First major fact highlighted in the case study is negligence in practice. The doctors
who were appointed to conduct bilateral oophorectomy and hysterectomy surgery of Mrs.
Francois, injured the both the bladders and the sigmoid colon (Thomas & Waluchow, 1998).
The second major facts highlighted in the case study is , Mrs. Francois refusal to undertake
the second round of the surgery in order to treat the injured sigmoid colon which has general
peritonitis along with raised body temperature, distended abdomen and hypotension. The
third main aspect of the case study is, the family members were willing to give consent for
the surgery on behalf of Mrs. Francois but this was against the medical ethics of autonomy
(Thomas & Waluchow, 1998). Autonomy promotes the right of the patient to determine the
path of the therapy procedure and simultaneously give informed consent (Mackenzie, 2014).
The fourth point in the case study is Mrs. Francois’s elder son Jacques warning to the

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healthcare professionals to conduct the immediate surgery even under Mrs. Francois’s refusal
(Thomas & Waluchow, 1998).
Major agents in the case
The major agents in the case study are the service user herself, Ms. Francois, her
family members. The third significant agent of the case is Mrs. Francois’s elder son Jacques.
The healthcare professionals also hold significance as one of the principal agents of this case
study (Thomas & Waluchow, 1998).
Major morale issue raised
The first morale issue raised is ethics of non-maleficence that condemns intentional
harm to the healthcare service users (Galanakis et al., 2013). In case of Mrs. Francois, there is
a negligence in duty and thus can be considered as breaching of the ethical principle of non-
maleficence. The second morale issue raise is autonomy. According to Mackenzie (2014),
any aspect of moral decision-making takes into account that rational agents are considered in
making informed decisions. In health care, respect for patient’s autonomy, in common
parlance, states that the patient has rights to act intentionally, with proper understanding and/
or without controlling influences that would mitigate against a free act. Just refusal of Mrs.
Francois to undertake the surgical treatment is justified under morale grounds of autonomy.
The third morale ground raise in the case study is ethics of beneficence. The moral theory of
beneficence preach that healthcare professionals have equal right to act for the benefit of the
patients and to take positive actions in order to prevent patient’s harm. The action of Jacques
works in favour of the moral ethics of beneficence (Taylor, 2013).