Below is my essay for the SIP, and I also have a Prezi that I can present in class.
here is the link to my book review: http://ablogbynina.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-my-sisters-keeper.html
here is the link to my book review: http://ablogbynina.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-my-sisters-keeper.html
Ethical Issues
Have you ever been in a situation where you were challenged to make a choice that had to go against your morals, or what others considered to be “right”? Have you ever thought that no matter what alternative you picked, you would always wonder what would have happened if you went with the other option? You are not alone. People make these sorts of choices every single day, and ask themselves the same question while deciding, and know that they will have the say in sometimes determining life or death. This is one of the biggest dilemmas anyone can face in the world today, and is called an ethical issue, or the choices that a person, or an organization makes to determine which of their options would be right (ethical) or wrong (unethical). One of the most common places to see ethical issues happening is in the medical field. In heath care, people have to determine what is best for the patient or client, and sometimes the best option is the hardest to grasp. I know that one day when I am working in the medical field, I will have to deal with these dilemmas, and learn how to be sure that the decision that I make is the right one.
People work every day to figure out which verdicts are the right ones to go with, and there are people in the medical field who specialize in this sort of thing. There is a whole field in medicine that studies different ethical issues, and that is called Bioethics. Bioethics is a very difficult field because it concerns some of the most troubling topics: the natures of life and death, what sort of life is worth living, what constitutes murder, how we should treat people who are in painful, vulnerable circumstances, and just what sort of responsibilities we have to other human beings. I think that this would be a tough field to work in, and I am especially grateful for the people that are there to sometimes make the decisions that other people cannot.
There are so many types of ethical issues that are presented in the health care field today. Genetic modification is one of the biggest ethical issues. Genetic modification includes treatments based off of genetic modifications, “designer babies”, abortions, etc. Premature babies is another big topic, which deals with the fact that many years ago, premature babies were almost guaranteed death, and now with modern technology we can keep them alive, but we are wondering if should we waste time and loads of money trying to save a baby who is not guaranteed a healthy life, or might not even survive. Performance drugs, which deals with the fact that people are illegally taking pills to help them focus is big issue too. Everyone is asking if it really is such a bad thing to be more concentrated. Also, the issue of resuscitation and life support, which looks at dilemmas such as keeping someone who is brain dead on life support, and euthanasia, which is when a patient wants to die, is begging you to help them, but you cannot let them, are both widely studied situations. These are the things that effect life as a medical professional all the time.
I read a book about a month ago called My Sister’s Keeper. This book had to do with so many ethical issues. It follows the life of a family where the oldest sister, Kate has leukemia, and the youngest sister, Anna, was conceived as a “designer baby”, and had all of the correct organs able to donate to her sick sister, who needed many transplants. Anna loves her sister, and would do anything for her, but after her parents just assume that she will give a kidney to her sister, she finally says that it is enough. Getting a kidney removed could have awful effects, and cause long term problems, and worst of all, her sister told her that she wants to die. Kate tells Anna that she can not give her kidney away because she is ready to die. Anna wants to make her sister happy, and is also tired of being ignored by her parents, and wants to have a say in what body parts she gives away, so she sues her parents for medical emancipation. She eventually wins, and in the end, the case was not about giving away a kidney, it was about trust and love in a family, and the ability to work through any situation. On the way back to the hospital, Anna and her lawyer get in a car accident, and Anna is proclaimed brain dead. Since her lawyer was now in charge of what happens with her body parts, he orders her kidney to be given to Kate, who makes a full recovery and is put in remission. Anna dies as the hero of the family, and everyone admits that she was the one keeping everyone held together this whole time. This book was a very powerful read, and I know that after reading it I got a first hand look on how families deal with the choices that have to be made in so many ethical dilemmas.
In every day life we have to make choices that involve ethical issues. These are not limited to the health care field. Maybe you find money on the sidewalk, or someones phone was left somewhere with open and private information. Maybe people are pressuring you to do something, like smoking. Every person has to deal with making choices like this, and everyone is stressed with the fact of making them. I think that making choices like this are the things that help you progress as a person, and whatever choice you make is going to effect your life in some way.
My opinions on ethical issues vary greatly. Different situations call for different actions. I think that as I get older, and learn more things, I will be able to make more mature decisions, and maybe change the way I feel about situations now. I know that it is tough for anyone to decide between life or death, or what will be the best thing to do in a situation, and I also know that being in the health car profession means a lot of stress because of this. I think that it takes a strong person to make decisions like this, and after it is all over, it makes you an even stronger person. It is like a double edged sword, in the way that no matter what choice you make, you will always wonder what would have happened if you picked the other one. The whole goal is to learn how to be confident enough in yourself to know that the choice you are making will be the best one possible. You are the one in charge, and you have to decide for yourself and others. What would you do?
