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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of ethical decision making in health care. Kantian ethics are used as a moral framework. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KW60_KFeth002.doc
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as well. This is never more apparent than when a difficult ethical dilemma arises in which one must balance the demands of the medical profession with the rights and wishes
of the patient. For instance, suppose that a 55-year old widowed grandmother had been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. She is an active individual with a strong support system of
friends and relatives, and has remained positive throughout three long years of painful chemotherapy. Unfortunately, at her latest screening, she was informed that the cancer is progressing once again. The
doctor in question tells her that her only chance is to undergo a more invasive form of chemotherapy that will, unfortunately, confine her to a hospital with just a 15%
chance of remission. Ultimately, the patient refuses the chemotherapy. While such circumstances might be frustrating for those in the medical profession, it is vitally important to remember that patients
are first and foremost individuals before they are patients, and as long as they are capable of making sound decisions for themselves, their wishes must be respected. This includes the
right to die, as upheld by the Supreme Court in cases such as 1990s Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health ("Right", 2011). From an ethical perspective, one might also
invoke the Kantian deontological theory of ethics to explore why it is advisable to allow the patient to have her wishes in this scenario. Deontological ethics states that only the
moral nature of an action matters in terms of its ethical permissiveness, and that consequences should not be considered; thusly, if the doctor violated the patients personal wishes, it would
be a moral wrong, even if the patients life were ultimately saved (Johnson, 2008). When analyzing ethical dilemmas such as this one, it is important to adopt a
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