Complete a 1,000 to 1,250-word case analysis of one of the specific cases presented in the textbook or of your own choosing.
The case cannot be one that we used in our class discussions.
You need to choose an individual medical case (examples of cases are Baby Fae, Kerri Wooltorton, Terri Schiavo) and not a general topic (not, for example, abortion or euthanasia).
The basic steps in the case analysis procedure are as follows:
Step 1: Identify the Issues
- What are the major moral or ethical issues raised by this case?
- What are the major factual issues raised by this case?
- What are the major conceptual issues raised by this case?
- Who are the major stakeholders in this case? (stakeholders refers to all individuals whose interest could be affected by the decision made in the case).
- How are the issues in this case related to the application of technology?
- What are the main alternative actions or policies that might be followed in responding to the ethical issues in this case?
- What are the major views on the conceptual issues raised by this case?
- What facts are unknown or controverted that might be relevant to deciding this case (may require research to determine some facts)?
- Determine which moral theories apply to this case.
- Identify the moral principles or high-level rules that can be invoked to support a conclusion as to what ought to be done ethically in this case or similar cases.
- Weigh the ethical reasons and arguments for each option in terms of their relative importance.
- Determine whether there are any unwarranted factual assumptions that need to be examined in each argument.
- Determine whether there are any unresolved conceptual issues in each argument.
- Decide which of the identified options you would recommend or judge to be the ethically best way to deal with the issue presented in this case based upon which option has the strongest ethical reasons behind it.
- Determine how a critic of your position might try to argue against it using other ethical reasons, and present a rebuttal or counter-argument in defense of your judgment.
