Earlier in the year, there was public outcry about the decision of an American couple to retard the growth of their daughter who is severely retarded in order to make caring for her more manageable. Recently, there has also been an outcry in the UK concerning a British couple who have requested a hysterectomy for their severely retarded daughter.
As new grounds are being broken in the field of medicine, many ethical issues are being raised. Is it morally right to allow assisted suicide or euthanasia? Should gene testing be carried out to determine if a baby has hereditary diseases? Should babies be made for the sole purpose of being donors for their sick older siblings? Should babies with limited chances of living normal lives be killed at birth or allowed to grow up with their deformities? The list goes on and on.
There appears to be a blurred line between right and wrong. Personally, I think every case should be judged on it own merit rather than making blanket yes or no decisions. I do appreciate that there may be instances of abuse by medical practitioners or individuals; therefore it is highly imperative that checks and balances be put in place to prevent abuse and misuse.
However, as more medical discoveries are being made, the problem of ethics in medicine will remain controversial for a long time to come. - By Alicia Jones
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1 comment:
You write very well.
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