MACAHILOS, Patricia Mae

BSN1-A

Ethics (Online Activity)

Topic: Bioethics

 Branch of ethics
 Interdisciplinary study of problems created by biological and medical progress
(micro or macro level) and its impact in the society and value system, for now and
for the future.
 It concerns for ethical questions involve in human understanding of life. It is born by
necessity of a critic reflection about ethical conflicts, which are caused by
progressing in life science and medicine. Technological and medical tools have an
important role in society and it has to manage.
 It is important know that bioethics does not defend a particular moral attitude nor
offer determinant and definitive answers, but it searches a grounded, critic and
argued reflection centered in the singularity of a concrete situation.

Subtopics:

 Euthanasia
o It is also called as mercy killing.
o It is an act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering.
o In euthanasia, a doctor is allowed by law to end a person’s life by a painless
means, as long as the patient and their family agree.
 Organ Transplantation
o It is when doctors remove an organ from another person and place it in your
body. This can happen because of illness or injury. You may need it if one of
your organs has failed.
 Surrogate Motherhood
o In surrogate motherhood, one woman acts as a surrogate, or replacement,
mother for another woman, sometimes called the intended mother, who
either cannot produce fertile eggs or cannot carry a pregnancy through to
birth, or term.
o It is a relationship in which one woman bears and gives birth to a child for a
person or a couple who then adopts or takes legal custody of the child; also
called mothering by proxy.
Questions:

1. Does a person have the right to terminate his life or other person to terminate
the lives of others so not to prolong the agony?
A certain person doesn’t have the right to terminate his/her own life because
we, people, have certain tasks in this life and we do need to fulfill it before we
die. But in some cases, I think, people have the right to terminate his own life
or to ask someone to terminate him if ever he/she is experiencing a huge
trauma or sickness that has a small quantity of assurance that he/she can live
well or get treated. Every individual have our own choices to make and the
people around us are just there to support or motivate us; give us reason to
continue living. An individual also has a capability to think what is right or
wrong and has a sense of ethical or moral judgment. He/she should also be
accountable for his/her actions or decisions and the mere fact that he/she
chose to terminate his/her own life, he/she should be prepared for the
certain consequences.
2. Is it ethical to sell a body’s organ (ex. Kidney) as a source of income and
prolong the life of others?
Selling any part of a person's body or organ is always unethical no matter
what the situation is. Unlike blood or any fluid that flow inside our body,
body organ doesn't regenerate or cannot be naturally produced again after
extraction. Another thing is that the common fallacy that is committed in this
situation is the fallacy of expertise; people often believe what doctor
says/recommend. Thus, it can cause the seller's body to not function well and
it is harm to self and any harm to people or environment is unethical.
3. Is a woman risking her life for pregnancy for other and provide happiness for
childless couples. Is motherhood for sale?
Certain procedure like surrogate motherhood has an agreement to make in
order for it to be performed. An individual, the mother who will carry the
baby, agreed for that certain procedure in return of money (or any other
thing). It is kind of ‘motherhood for sale’ because she carried the baby for 9
months and take good care carrying it even knowing that it is not her own.
 CITATIONS

Brazier, Y. (2018, December 17). Euthanasia and assisted suicide: What are they and what do

they mean? Retrieved April 12, 2020, from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182951

Muntada, M. R. (2017, June 3). The importance of bioethics. Retrieved April 12, 2020, from

https://allyouneedisbiology.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/importance-bioethics/

Organ Transplantation. (2020, March 12). Retrieved April 12, 2020, from

https://medlineplus.gov/organtransplantation.html

Surrogate Motherhood - Does Surrogacy Involve Making Families Or Selling Babies?, Further

Readings. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2020, from

https://law.jrank.org/pages/10643/Surrogate-Motherhood.html

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019, December 27). Euthanasia. Retrieved April 12,

2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/euthanasia