Personal Incident that Helped to Make Ethical Decision Essay

Personal Incident that Helped to Make Ethical Decision - Essay Example A person may not be legally bound to choose a course of action but ethics demand that he take on that course of action. Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, deals with the obligations that human beings have to the society and people around them. It also deals with the values that we acquire while living within the society and it is these values that guide the decisions that individuals take in their lives (Duquenoy, George and Kimppa, 2008). In this paper, we attempt to present an ethical dilemma that I faced in my life recently and how this decision I made corresponds with two different ethical theories. Under the light of these ethical theories that are Utilitarianism and Kantism Theory, we would be discussing the decision that I made. The objective is to study the decision under these theories and determine whether the action taken was ethically correct. Ethical Situation Recently, while working as an intern in a hospital, I went across a case that required ethical decision mak ing. A 5-year-old child was suffering from severe trauma as a result of a car accident. The car accident that left the child in a vegetative state and he continued to be on life support for more than 3 months. Even before the condition, the child had been suffering because of his medical condition that had been diagnosed as Thalassemia Major. As the three months were nearing their end, the parents of the child were losing hope. The doctor, a senior and a mentor, was also losing hope. The parents were quite attached to their child and had been his main support throughout his life. But with time, they were realizing that their child may not survive given his condition and the injury that he had taken on. For this reason, they were considering using euthanasia as a valid option at that stage. The doctor, however, was not willing to allow the child to be put to sleep considering that the law was against such a situation. During the child’s illness and his injury, I had developed a good bonding with the parents. I saw them as caring individuals and loving parents who were generally distressed at their child’s present condition. Because of their concern, I usually took out the time in my busy schedule to visit and offer support at least once during the day. I was aware that my concern for the child reassured the parents and they discussed their options with me in great detail. Thus, it was not surprising that they came to me to discuss the option of euthanasia. Personally, I do not have a strong argument for or against euthanasia but seeing the child as he was and the suffering the parents were going through, I realized that euthanasia would be more advantageous in this position. However, I was legally bound to refrain from the practice myself. Decision After great deliberation, I decided that I indeed had an option that the parents would consider. I researched the internet about states that allowed euthanasia as legal practices and informed the parent s of such states.