Treating or Terminating The Dilemma of Impaired Infants...

Aiding the death of infants is a much disputed controversy in healthcare. H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. provides an ethical view that there is a moral duty not to treat an impaired infant when this will only prolong a painful life or would only lead to a painful death. It is these individuals, like Engelhardt, who must defend this position against groups who consider that we have the ability to prolong the lives of impaired infants, thus we are obligated to do so. Infanticide is associated with aiding the death of an infant and infant euthanasia. Jim Holt, contributing author for the New York Times, writes that, â€Å"Infanticide is the deliberate killing of newborns with the consent of the parents and society. This concept has been common†¦show more content†¦Approximately 1 in 68,000 births result in anencephaly annually. About 25% of anencephalic babies die at birth; those who survive have a life expectancy of a few hours or days (Jaquier 2006). There are methods in the justification of aiding in the death of an impaired infant. Engelhardt outlines that there is a distinction between aiding the death of adult and children. The question of status is also explored to determine that children are neither self-possessed nor responsible. The concept of Injury of Continued Existence is given to look at the potential person the infant might become if allowed to exist. These examples are provided to give a thorough evaluation of a child before the decision is made whether or not to prolong life. Is there a difference when evaluating the life of a child versus an adult when considering aiding in their death? Engelhardt determines that yes, there is a distinction. He convincingly notes that â€Å"the difference lies in the somewhat obvious fact that infants and young children are not able to decide about their own futures and this are not persons in the same sense that normal adults are.† (646). The rights of children are determined through the status of the parent’s rights, the obligations of adults to prevent suffering, and the potential societal effects through the allowance of death of an impaired infant. The differences between adult and child euthanasia are considered whenShow MoreRelatedHsm 542 Week 12 Discussion Essay45410 Words   |  182 PagesWeek 1: Introductions/Overview: An Ethical and Legal Framework - Discussion This weeks graded topics relate to the following Terminal Course Objectives (TCOs): A | Given a situation related to reproductive genetics, genetic research, or the human genome project, develop a set of legal and ethical guidelines, which can be applied to genetic issues for the conduct of medical practice and/or research. | B | Given the contentious debate surrounding issues of procreation, develop an institutionalRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmymanagementlab is an online assessment and preparation solution for courses in Principles of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Read More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesCompositor: Newgen–India Printer: Courier Corporation/Kendallville  © 2008, 2005 Duxbury, an imprint of Thomson Brooks/Cole, a part of The Thomson Corporation. Thomson, the Star logo, and Brooks/Cole are trademarks used herein under license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, information storage and retrieval