Question

One demand on ethical health care going forward could be privacy and security of medical data. This is more so the case given that the deployment of technology in the medical realm has become even more pronounced. This means that going forward, private patient data could be exposed to more sophisticated hacking attempts. In seeking to meet this particular demand, the relevance of embracing the beneficence ethical principle cannot be overstated. This is to say that efforts should be made to ensure that the decisions made in as far as the implementation of technology-based solutions in the healthcare realm is concerned ought to be aligned with the best interests of patients. In those instances whereby risk to privacy is deemed too great, then efforts should be made to either embrace robust security measures, or a decision to abandon implementation made.

The other demand on ethical healthcare that ought to be highlighted in this case is increased cost of accessing competent or quality healthcare. It is important to note that as Makary (2019) points out, overall healthcare costs including all private and public spending are anticipated to rise by an average of 5.5 percent per year over the next decade growing from $3.5 trillion in 2017 to $6 trillion by 2027 (311). In essence, what this means is that only those who have financial muscle will be able to access quality healthcare. In my opinion, the most relevant ethical principle in this case would be justice. This is more so the case owing to the fact that this particular principle relates to fairness. Thus, there is need for the various stakeholders in the healthcare realm to ensure that strategies are put in place to ensure that health care is equitably as well as justly distributed to all persons regardless of their socio-economic status.

Question 2

The most reasonable response for healthcare providers in this case would be to change the narrative about advance directives being for the elderly only. Instead, healthcare providers should, through commentaries in the relevant media etc., highlight the relevance of advance directives for persons of all ages with or without preexisting medical conditions.

In instances whereby an advance directive does not exist, i.e. as is often the case in medical emergencies, healthcare providers ought to deploy the most appropriate medical interventions with an intention of ensuring that the most urgent clinical needs of the patient are met. Later on, treatment decisions can be adapted and aligned with the preferences of the patients surrogate.

Question 3

From an ethics point of view, the ethical principle of beneficence could be used in defense of the celebritys decision. This is more so the case given that as this particular principle dictates, there is need to always act in the best interests of the client. In this case, the clients best interests would be to ensure that she does not lose her livelihood. However, the ethics of such a decision could be refused on the basis of the ethical principle of veracity. This relates to being honest and truthful with the patient. In this case, there would be need for the patient to be made aware of the fact that a decision of this nature could have long-lasting physiological and psychological effects on the child. The decision could also take a physiological toll on this particular celebrity. As Clark (2016) observes, in line with the veracity principle, healthcare practitioners ought to be sincere and forthright with patients even in those instances whereby there is a risk of causing distress to patients.

Being a baby created by technology, as it has been stated above, could have both physiological and psychological effects on the child. From a physiological perspective, such a move could result in serious health defects. On the other hand, from a psychological perspective, the child could later on, i.e. as an adult, face significant challenges with regard to identity formation. For instance, as Clark (2016) observes, human cloning presents a threat to our concepts of human identity and individuality (79). Thus, there would be need...

…of substandard protective care to healthcare workers. Rationing healthcare equipment is a good move to ensure that finances and other resources in the health sector are well utilized (Williams, Dickinson, & Robinson, 2012). However, in present COVID 19 pandemic times for instance, providing cheap and low-quality protective care increases the risk for health care workers contracting the illness. It is therefore not a medical rationing decision. Rather, it increases treatment costs for the pandemic.

The second rationing decision made by physicians is the transfe of patients from an ICU when they show signs of recovery. Most of the times, such patients have responded positively to treatment and support. In some instances, however, the reality is that patients who are transferred out of ICUs are transferred as a consequence of economic considerations and other non-medical factors effectively erecting barriers in their path to full recovery.

Question 9

Petrozella argues that public conversation about abortion may be unsuccessful until it finds a common ground. Common ground on this front means that people may need to find similarities in order to connect and have a conversation (Morrison, 2011). Common ground is the only element that will result in successful conversation on abortion.

Question 10

One of the ethical issues related to human cloning is the social implications. A clone is not necessarily born to nor attributed to a specific parent, and the question is who gets to take care of them for their entire life. Every child who is born is dependent on a parent but a lone child does not have a parent. The second ethical issue is the physical implications that come with cloning (Hyry, 2018). For example, there is a high likelihood of making deformed embryos. There is also the risk of many other ailments and deformities in later life. A clone would likely have normal human properties. One other prominent ethical issue that would arise on this front relates to clone rights. Do clones share have same rights as normal human beings? Also, does the person who made the clone…