Analysing the Case-Studies:
When thinking about moral decision-making in professional contexts you may approach your analysis of a given dilemma by going through the following steps:
- identify the ethical issue(s) in the dilemma;
- identify the different people involved, describe how each one might view the dilemma, and explain why you think they take this position.Different people might include patients, users, carers, the general public, pressure groups, front-line professional workers, assistants, service managers;
- identify potential conflict(s) and points of agreement in terms of ethical arguments; this is important
- consider how gender, ethnicity, religion, age, sexuality, disability, and/or other differences you think are relevant, might influence how people respond to the dilemma.
- consider how far relevant codes of professional conduct and law, as applied to the dilemma, help with arriving at a moral solution
Case study —- Mrs K is a 37-year-old woman with four children. She consults her doctor for irregular periods. She had been using a diaphragm as contraception, having stopped taking birth control pills because of their side effects.
Her doctor tells her that she is pregnant. She does not want another child. She says she already has as many children as she can cope with. Mrs K suffers from depression. Her doctor considers her circumstances fall within the Abortion Act 1967 and refers her to a clinic.
Mr K disagrees with abortion.
Did the doctor do the right thing?
Break it down
Then identify the ethical issue(s) in the dilemma who are the people involved.
Then talk about what are you going to fallow the deontology or the Unitarianism perspective. And if you think the professional should respect or not her anatomy. (week 6 is very important look at the 4 Principles approach)
Then which every perspective you fallow you need to talk about why you believe it right you believe the doctor should respect her anatomy and flow ie deontology or Unitarianism……for example you can go on by say the reasons because of her depression and then talk about evidence that shows statist on depression in pregnant woman or even abortion and how it effect woman and that why you believe the doctor was also right for support her….and talk about the father and his right…… give counter argument
Maybe look at her mental capacity and see if she understand if she really understand what happening…
I hope you can fallow what am saying please come back to me…if you don’t understand anything. Talk about what is law on abortion the uk.
Talk about give a few examples: consider how gender, ethnicity, religion, age, sexuality, disability, and/or other differences you think are relevant, might influence how people respond to the dilemma. For example if the professional was one the above would that change what he thought and what he did next
At the have your overall conclusion:
- consider how far relevant codes of professional conduct and law, as applied to the dilemma, help with arriving at a moral solution
Case study —- Mrs K is a 37-year-old woman with four children. She consults her doctor for irregular periods. She had been using a diaphragm as contraception, having stopped taking birth control pills because of their side effects.
Her doctor tells her that she is pregnant. She does not want another child. She says she already has as many children as she can cope with. Mrs K suffers from depression. Her doctor considers her circumstances fall within the Abortion Act 1967 and refers her to a clinic.
Mr K disagrees with abortion.
Did the doctor do the right thing?
Mrs. K
*A number of people have rights in this case study. Mrs and Mr K and the unborn fetus, and it will not be possible from the facts in the case study for all parties to exercise their rights because the exercise of one person’s rights is likely to be at the expense of someone else.
*Mrs. K’s rights are based on the fact that she is carrying the fetus and will give birth and will (most likely?) be the primary carer. She is the patient and hence the primary concern in the exercise of a duty of care. She also has depression and hence child care may suffer (note this last point is based on a consequential argument).
*Mrs. K. ‘s depression may mean her mental capacity is impaired. Health professionals would need to review her condition to assess capacity to decide.
*We do not know if Mr. K knows about the pregnancy. We do know he disagrees with abortion. This could be on religious grounds? But if he doesn’t know should the Dr respect patient (Mrs. K) confidentiality or does Mr K have the right to know?
*When a fetus is considered to have rights? Legally 24 weeks (abortion act 1967) but morally? Law and morality may be different.
https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance
https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/
https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/standards/item/217-code-of-conduct
https://patient.info/doctor/consent-to-treatment-mental-capacity-and-mental-health-legislation