This I have Learned.

1. Autonomy, truth-telling, and confidentiality

a. I have learned that there should be certain cases where patient autonomy is decided by
others such as medical professionals. I think in cases where the autonomy of a child is
decided by a parent, there are certain situations where it might be crucial for medical
personnel to decide what is best for the child if parents are unwilling to consent to
medical things that would save that child’s life. I have learned that it is very important to
tell the truth when it is concerning the patient and their family. People should tell them
everything about their medical condition/treatment so that they can make informed
decisions regarding themselves. I think that truth-telling is also very important even if
telling the patient something could cause them to do something that you don’t think is
in their best interest, like telling them the side effects of a medication that would cause
them to not want to take it even though it would save their life. I also think in situations
where the confidentiality comes into play with telling a patient something, then they
should find ways to tell them all that they need to know without telling them anything
about other people. Patient confidentiality is always to be respected.
2. Research ethics and informed consent
a. I have learned that informed consent is not something to be taken lightly and should
always happen. They should especially be informed of anything that is going to be
happening to them or have an effect on them in any way possible. Informed consent is a
very important part of research ethics. You should not be putting a person’s life in
danger simply because you don’t want to tell them the whole truth that might make
them not want to participate in something. A person has a right to say what they want to
have happen to their body and just because someone wants to do research on it does
not mean that they should be allowed to lie or omit information to make them more
likely to agree to that study. I have learned that medical research, whether done
correctly or incorrectly, can have great impacts on society, especially the negative
impact. I have also learned that with medical research comes the knowledge that could
save or harm many people, so it needs to be done in the correct way as to keep people
safe and encourage them to continue with the studies.
3. Genetic control
a. I have learned that genetic control can have a large impact on families of unborn
children. It is important that genetic testing be available to all those who wish to have it,
but it should also come with advisory warnings for what it may contain and/or do to the
mother or the child. I think people should not always have medical testing done, but
only if they feel they really need to and want it. It could help prevent children being born
who would only suffer for their short lives lived on earth. It could also cause much
confusion and lead the world to become prejudice against children who have been
genetically “controlled.” I think that it should only be used when necessary and not just
when parents want to have their child have certain attributes or qualities. I think that
that would cause confusion in the world about the worth of certain people and it would
make lives just that much harder in a world where there is already much prejudice and
judgement.
4. Reproductive control
a. I have learned that reproductive donations might not be as bad of a thing as I once
thought. I think that they can be nice for people who want to have their own children
but for reasons are not able to. I believe that there are other methods of having children
such as adoption) that should always be explored but I can understand the desire in
which people want to have their own children biologically. I think that there are some
situations where reproductive donations get complicated, however. I think that it is hard
for the children if they want to meet their biological father or mother but cannot
because it was an anonymous donation. It would also be complicated to know that you
have biological siblings which you would possibly never know if you meet, and that could
cause potential problems with relationships. I think that people should have the right to
decide what they want to with their body-if they wish to donate their sperm or eggs or if
they wish to be the receiver of sperm/eggs.
5. Abortion
a. I have learned that the choice of abortion should be the choice of the woman. It is her
body and therefore it should be her choice in the matter. That being said, I do not think
that abortion is ever the right option, but I respect others who would wish to have one. I
think that a woman should not be forced to keep growing a child in her body if she does
not want to, especially since it is her body that is taking the risk to do it. I think that it
should be the woman’s choice because she is the one who has to deal with the side
effects and the dangers of being pregnant and the decision of what to do with the child
after, whether she choose to place it up for adoption or keep it.
6. Treating or terminating impaired infants
a. I think that it is the choice of the parents whether or not to keep or terminate an
impaired infant and no one else’s. I think that they should be advised extensively on the
consequences of either choice so that they can make a informed decision. I think this
because they are going to be the ones who have to take care of the child once it is born,
or to place it up for adoption, so they should get to choose what is best for it. I think
they should also take into consideration the child’s long-term prognosis and what, if any,
complications that would cause with the mother. I do not personally believe that
terminating the child is the best thing to do, however, I do understand that others might
have other opinions and because of this class I can understand why they would choose
to terminate their child. I think that parents are also responsible for choosing whether to
treat their child or not, but I think that they should only not treat them under very
specific circumstances. I think that as far as treating very treatable illnesses goes, that
they should be required to do what is best for the child, and if they aren’t then there are
certain times where the government can step in because it could be seen a child abuse. I
think that that would be acceptable in cases like where parents decide not to treat their
child who has the flu with modern medicine and that ends up killing or almost killing the
child.
7. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
a. I have learned much on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide that I didn’t know. I
don’t believe that it should be an option, because of my religion, however I can
understand why people would want it done. I think that if it were to be allowed then
there should be very specific guidelines for when it should be allowed. People should be
 of sound mind and have terminal illnesses that would kill them within a certain amount
of time. I think it should be up to the physicians and medical personnel if they would
want to help that person though because it would be their license that would be in
question if there were to be anything that went slightly wrong with it or if people believe
it was done under the wrong circumstances. I think that it would be a good option for
some because it would save them and their family from extended suffering and would
help lessen the physical, mental, and financial burdens on them. I honestly don’t know
how I feel about people who have severe mental illnesses or non-terminal illnesses who
want to be euthanized. I have learned a lot about this issue from this class and I have yet
to decide how I feel for others because I have so many conflicting thoughts about this.
8. Organ transplants, scarce medical resources
a. I have learned that there are specific requirements that people must meet for them to
be able to donate organs or receive them. I think that these requirements are
appropriate and necessary for helping keep the most amount of people healthy. At my
job this semester, I was able to witness several organ transplants, one of which was very
joyous and one of which I felt was almost unethical. This class helped me understand
certain situations where people should not be allowed to receive organs and I was able
to witness that first hand which was interesting. I do think that people should be allowed
to be compensated for their organ donations, even if it is giving money to the family of
the deceased. It would help raise the amount of donations and could possibly help
families when their loved ones pass away. I can also understand why it would be
somewhat tricky to pay them, however, because it could cause people to falsify
documents saying they are healthy and eligible when they are not because they need
the money. I think that people should also be allowed to refuse the pay if they wish, in
such cases like when a loved one dies.
9. Distributing health care
a. I think that the distribution of health care should solely be based on a person’s age, race,
education, financial status, etc. I think that there should be government policies that
help people pay for their medical bills when they need them so that they can receive the
treatment that they need. I do not think that they should be ever based on a person’s
race. I do think that age and the quality of life before and after treatment for that person
should be considered. I don’t think that they should be the only reason that people are
denied certain medical treatments, but I do think that they should factor in. I think if a
person is going to die without the treatment but it is going to make their quality of life a
disaster, then they should be informed of that but they should ultimately be the one
who decides if they should receive that care (with the exception being organ
transplants).
10. Women and medicine
a. I have learned that the medical research for women has always been something of
controversy. People believe that women are more delicate and therefore should not
have medical research done on them to protect them. I do not agree with this
philosophy. I think that research for women should be the same as men. It should be
allowed given the proper informed consent and they should do it on all races because
the female body is not the exact same in every case. I think that people should not
exclude women just because they are women, however, they should have specific
 requirements just like they do for men, even if that means that they are not able to do it
on pregnant, nursing, or women planning on becoming pregnant. I don’t think that all
research should be abandoned on men to pursue research on women, I think it should
be equal to get the desired results.
11. Health care for minorities
a. I have learned that the heath care opportunities for minors is unfortunately very
different from that of the majorities. I do not think it should be this way. I think that
people should be allowed the same medical advances despite their race. The situation of
having people who are not citizens of this country complicate things a little regarding
finances, but I do not think that this should be any reason that they can’t be treated. I
think that all humans are humans and should be treated as such, therefore they
shouldn’t have to suffer just because they aren’t the same race as the majority of
Americans. I do think that there should be more specific medical research for those of
the minorities because their genetics do differ slightly, so medicines/medical treatments
might affect them differently and they shouldn’t be forced to have lower affecting
medical care just because we are afraid they will be offended if we only want to perform
medical treatments on their specific race.
12. Those with AIDS/HIV
a. I have learned that there have been specific laws regarding people who are infected with
HIV and their reporting of their disease before engaging in sexual conduct. I don’t
necessarily think that that is appropriate at a government level, but I do think that those
with this disease should take extra precautions and absolutely inform others that they
have that disease. I do not think that the government has a right to step in and throw
them in jail if they refuse to tell them though because I feel that that is where the
government is overstepping their bounds with other people’s health. I think that we
should have lots of medical support for those with this disease because it is something
awful that they go through and unfortunately it is going to end their life someday.