Ethical Considerations: Fetal Abnormality and Moral Status Case Study

The assignment presents a case study involving a pregnant woman, Jessica, whose fetus is diagnosed with a developmental disorder, potentially including Down syndrome and the absence of arms. The case explores the ethical dilemmas faced by Jessica, her husband Marco, and Dr. Wilson, the attending physician. It examines the application of various moral theories, including informed decision-making, the theory of planned behavior, philosophical defenses of the right to life, and biblical defenses. The assignment analyzes how these theories influence the recommendations and actions of each individual involved, highlighting the conflicts between personal beliefs, medical ethics, and the well-being of the fetus and parents. It ultimately favors the informed decision-making approach, emphasizing the importance of empowering patients with information to make autonomous choices regarding their health and the future quality of life of their child. The study highlights the need for transparency and empathy from healthcare professionals in navigating complex ethical scenarios.

Running head: FETAL ABNORMALITY
Case study on moral status
Name of the student
University name
Author’s note

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FETAL ABNORMALITY
Table of Contents
Thesis statement: To evaluate the theories determining the moral status of foetus........................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Theories used to determine the moral status of the foetus...............................................................2
Influence of theory on each of their recommendation for action....................................................4
Justification of theory determining the recommendation for action................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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FETAL ABNORMALITY
Thesis statement: To evaluate the theories determining the moral status of foetus
Introduction
The current assignment focuses on the aspect of the application of moral theories in the
context of evaluating a critical circumstance. The current study highlights the different dilemmas
faced within the context of healthcare and the differential responses provided by each and every
individual. The responses to these situations are further governed by different set of theories and
healthcare ethics. Therefore, through the assignment an attempt has been made to strike a
balance between the ethical dilemmas and the different healthcare theories. The moral grounds
for making the decisions might again vary from individual to individual. Thus, over here the
different policies and procedures have been highlighted which are used in making such important
decisions.
Theories used to determine the moral status of the foetus
There are different theories and policies which forms the framework for decision making
within a health care set up. In this context, Jessica is four months old pregnant who along with
her husband Marco had recently visited the country hospital only to find out that foetus in her
womb had a rare developmental disorder in which it will not develop any arms. The diagnosis
also pointed at the probability of possessing a Down's syndrome. Thus, over here the moral
theories used in the decision making regarding the birth consequences of the child have been
evaluated from the perspective of three different individuals-Jessica (the mother), Marco (the
father ) and Dr Wilson.

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The doctor here attending to Jessica and Marco suggested that the child is aborted for
preventing future severe consequences. Dr Wilson here emphasized that the health condition of
the child may affect its life severely. He was also keen upon informing Jessica about the status of
the foetus and suggests abortion as an alternative therapy. The doctor was refrained from doing
so by Marco, who requested that he will himself break the news to his wife at a convenient time.
However, the doctor went on to break the unwelcoming news to the patient owing to the duties
which were imposed upon him as a medical professional. Thus, here the doctor applied the
policy of informed decision making (Coeller, 2016). As per the policy of informed decision
making, the patients have the right to know about the current status of their health and make
decisions accordingly (zuradzki, 2014).
The husband, on the other hand, was concerned about his wife and the way she would
react to the unpleasant news. The husband here follows the theory of planned behaviour in
making his choices. Therefore, the decision making is influenced by the beliefs possessed by the
individual along with external motivation. Here, the doctor had been constantly guiding Marco
upon the plausible long-term effects of giving birth to the abnormal foetus. Here, Jessica had
been placed in a torn state of mind. The patient on hand was bothered about future life and
stability and on the other hand, she was deeply driven by a philosophical defence (Emery et al.,
2015). In the lieu of her belief, which considers all life as sacred, an embryo has life and is a
human (Milunsky & Milunsky, 2015). The philosophical defence says that every human has a
right to life (Mills, 2014). Aunt Maria is seen to undergo through biblical defence placing the
intention of God above any logic or reason.

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Influence of theory on each of their recommendation for action
The theories or individual believes further shaped up the recommendation for individual
action. Here, Jessica, Marco, Aunt Maria and Dr Wilson each had reacted differently to the
situation, which could be attributed to the different reasoning approaches held by them. Both
Marco and Jessica were apprehensive about the future implications and the financial burdens
which would come along with the birth of such as a child. However, Jessica and Aunt Maria
were mostly guided by the philosophical and biblical defence. Marco suggested that he would
simply follow the wishes of his wife. Therefore, his actions were dependent upon external
motivations. On the contrary, Dr Wilson was influenced by the medical code of conduct and
policies. As per his proposal to Marco, Jessica should be provided with the all the relevant news
and information regarding the health of her foetus. The goal was to put sufficient power in the
hands of the patient by giving them the autonomy to make the choice (Cherry, 2013).
Justification of theory determining the recommendation for action
I would personally favour the theory of informed decision making as applied by DR.
Wilson in the present context. The theory takes into consideration the long-term health and
future consequences. In my opinion, the policy of informed decision making puts maximum
power in the hands of the patients to review their health condition and take decision accordingly.
Here, the foetus depicted abnormal conditions in the ultrasonography and developed no arms.
Additionally, the foetus had 25 % chances of developing a Down's syndrome.
Therefore, giving birth to such as a child would mean that greater amount of
dependence on the parents or the support carer. As commented by Milunsky & Milunsky (2015),
individuals with Down’s syndrome often show lower IQ with increasing age. Here, the

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autonomy and independent decision-making approach of a person affected with Down’s
syndrome is less developed. The foetus here had a developmental disorder with no arms, which
would certainly affect the future quality of life. In this respect, the parents of the child also had
additional liabilities which could be accounted to the financial and social restrictions brought
upon them.
Conclusion
The current assignment focuses on the concept of theories and policies which are applied
in the context of settling moral and ethical dilemmas. Here, the scenario related deciding the fate
of the abnormal foetus had been decided with respect to three different individuals. In this
respect, each individual had been affected by their set of pre-conceived notions or theories.
However, with reference to a practical medical scenario ethical dilemmas are often faced. In the
context of Jessica and Marco, both were apprehensive about the quality of life the foetus might
be having. However, they were caught in a fix owing to philosophical and biblical contexts.
Therefore, the medical professional looking after the health of the patients need to be transparent
in his approach and should be empathetic enough to comprehend the feelings of the patient.

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References
Bianchi, D. W., Parker, R. L., Wentworth, J., Madankumar, R., Saffer, C., Das, A. F., ... &
Oliver, K. (2014). DNA sequencing versus standard prenatal aneuploidy screening. New
England Journal of Medicine, 370(9), 799-808.
Cherry, M. J. (2013). What are our moral duties? Critical reflections on clinical equipoise and
publication ethics, clinical choices, and moral theory.
Coeller, N. (2016). The Physician-Patient Relationship in Light of Fetal Homicide
Laws. Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine, 25(1), 45-48.
Emery, S. P., Bahtiyar, M. O., Moise, K. J., & North American Fetal Therapy Network. (2015).
The North American Fetal Therapy Network Consensus Statement: Management of
Complicated Monochorionic Gestations. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 126(3), 575-584.
Mills, C. (2014). Making Fetal Persons: Fetal Homicide, Ultrasound, and the Normative
Significance of Birth. Philosophia, 4(1), 88-107.
Milunsky, A., & Milunsky, J. M. (2015). Genetic disorders and the fetus: diagnosis, prevention,
and treatment. John Wiley & Sons.
zuradzki, T. (2014). Moral uncertainty in bioethical argumentation: a new understanding of the
pro-life view on early human embryos. Theoretical medicine and bioethics, 35(6), 441-
457.