Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics

1. Teachings

   • 'Do not kill'
   • 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you'
   • '...a time to be born and a time to die'
   • 'Be fruitful and mulitiply'
   • 'From the first moment of his existence a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a preson' - Catechism
   • 'Man does not become human till he breathes the breath of life'
   • Sanctity of life
   • 'God made man in his own image'
   • Quality of life
   • Autonomy - Your body is yours and you have the right to do whatever you want with it
   • 'So God created human beings, making them to be like himself'
   • 'Hannah had no children...because the Lord closed her womb'
   • The Golden Rule
   • 'Love you neighbour...'
   • 'You knit me together in my other womb'
   • Dominion and Stewardship

2. Abortion

   • The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, made legal in the UK in 1967
   • Backstreet abortions used unsterile equipment and the doctors were charged lots of money
   • Legal limit is 24 weeks and 2 doctors need to give consent
   • The Father of the baby doesn't have a say unless they're married
   • Reasonings
     • If the mum might die during pregnancy/birth
     • If the mums mental or physical well-being is at risk
     • The health of the baby (deformities, mental health)
   • Conception
     • The point at which the sperm fertilises the egg to create an embryo.
   • Catholics - Against
     • They hold the belief that life begins at conception, so abortion = ending a life, which goes against the decalogue
   • People agree because, well why should you suffer due to the failure of contraception or unplanned pregnancy
   • Pro-life
     • Arguments against abortion
   • Pro-Choice
     • Arguments for the right to choose

3. Fertility Treatment

   • A Person/People who are infertile get medical treatment to be able to have children
   • IVF
     • They take the egg from the woman
       • The egg is placed in a Petri-Dish
         • The males sperm is washed and concentrated and placed in the dish
           • The egg is fertilised here
             • This fertilised egg is placed back in the mums uterus
   • AI
     • Sperm is injected into the uterus
   • Catholics
     • Recognise that couples can become very unhappy when they can't have children
     • Embryo's are lives and are often disposed of, which is wrong
     • Scientists are playing God - Only God should grant life
     • It's unnatural - babies should be born because of sex, not science
     • Infertility means God has other plans for you, and you should accept this.
   • Other Christians
     • Life is a gift from God, therefore anything that creates life is good.
     • God is omnibenevolent, wanting people to be happy
     • Christians believe children enrich a marriage
     • Jesus himself was a healer...is infertility a from of sickness???
   • Methodists believe is OK to use "spare" embryos for research, but only in early stages
     • God gave us our brains and we should use them to help people
     • This is the most loving thing to do
     • Christians believe children can enrich a marriage
     • Christians believe God is omnibenevolent, wanting what's best for everyone

4. Euthanasia

   • Bringing about or speeding up someone's death, with or without their permission. Also known as easy death, or sometimes referred to as mercy killing
   • Non voluntary = Murder
   • More than 90% of pensioners support voluntary euthanasia
   • Voluntary
     • Where the person has expressed a wish to be allowed to die. This is sometimes referred to as assisted suicide
   • Involuntary
     • Where the person CAN'T make a decision but the doctors and family believe its in the patients' best interests to be allowed to die.
     • E.g. In a case in Hillsborough, a man was on life support and the doctors didn't think he would regain consciousness, so the family went to court and won a case to 'Pull-the-plug'
   • Passive is when a person is let to die
   • Active is when a lethal dose is issued
     • his is not legal in the UK, so, if people want to do this, they have to travel abroad to die.
   • Who's Choice is it??
     • Doctors???
     • Courts???
     • Patients???
     • Families???
     • Gods???

5. Animal Testing

   • For
     • Could provide human cures
     • Above in the food chain - God gave us dominion
     • Happy, healthy animals
     • They try to reduce number of animals involved
     • Anaestetics
     • if an animal becomes ill, it doesn't get put down, it gets care and returns to its designated living space
   • Against
     • Animals get injured
     • God told us to be good stewards of the world
     • Sanctity of Life
     • Perhaps not for cosmetics
     • Innocent
     • 'The Earth is the Lords and everything in it'
     • No natural light

6. Cloning

   • Non-Christians want to be encouraging science to advance
   • Making a living thing from another living thing eg Plant or animal. The process uses the genes of the 1st so that they both have identical DNA
   • Muslims believe anything that could help someone conceive is good
   • The soul of a person enters the embryo at conception (embryos sometimes used)
     • Stem cell research
   • Biological +Moral issues
   • It is illegal in UK to produce a human clone
   • Humans playing God
   • If it can save a life, its the loving thing to do .