ETHL 445 Week 5: Ethical Dilemma
Ethics Paper
Week 5
ETHC 445
Today a decision needs to be made. We have three patients who are in dire need of a heart transplant and there is only one heart available. Decisions like this are never easy to make and there is no right answer, because no matter the choice there will be two people left with little hope to live. However it is my duty and my responsibility to make that choice in a timely manner so that someone may benefit from the heart that is available. The first patient is a 55 year old father of three by the name of Jerry. He is a mid-level manager at a carpet distributing company and the sole financial supporter of his family. His wife is a stay-at-home mother, and Jerry is five years away from retirement. He has a 19 year old child in college as well as a 14 year old and 16 year old child. His youngest is mildly autistic. We …show more content…
However, I only have the ability to save one at this time. It is during impossible circumstances like these that we should consider the advice of those who came before us. John Stuart Mill was a noted English philosopher during the 19th century who followed a utilitarian approach to such dilemmas. He believed that the right answer was the one which would help the most people. St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who taught us to follow our conscience, to follow our heart and do what we believe is right. We cannot know the future, and I do not know what will happen to the person who receives the heart or to the people who do not receive it. All three patients do have similarities. They all have a similar life expectancy if they receive the heart; approximately ten to fifteen years, or possibly more. They all have either family or friends who will miss them very dearly should they die. Finally, they all face death should they be denied this heart, and that is a fact that does not go unnoticed by
Week 5
ETHC 445
Today a decision needs to be made. We have three patients who are in dire need of a heart transplant and there is only one heart available. Decisions like this are never easy to make and there is no right answer, because no matter the choice there will be two people left with little hope to live. However it is my duty and my responsibility to make that choice in a timely manner so that someone may benefit from the heart that is available. The first patient is a 55 year old father of three by the name of Jerry. He is a mid-level manager at a carpet distributing company and the sole financial supporter of his family. His wife is a stay-at-home mother, and Jerry is five years away from retirement. He has a 19 year old child in college as well as a 14 year old and 16 year old child. His youngest is mildly autistic. We …show more content…
However, I only have the ability to save one at this time. It is during impossible circumstances like these that we should consider the advice of those who came before us. John Stuart Mill was a noted English philosopher during the 19th century who followed a utilitarian approach to such dilemmas. He believed that the right answer was the one which would help the most people. St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who taught us to follow our conscience, to follow our heart and do what we believe is right. We cannot know the future, and I do not know what will happen to the person who receives the heart or to the people who do not receive it. All three patients do have similarities. They all have a similar life expectancy if they receive the heart; approximately ten to fifteen years, or possibly more. They all have either family or friends who will miss them very dearly should they die. Finally, they all face death should they be denied this heart, and that is a fact that does not go unnoticed by