Alternative Principles and Perspectives in Clinical Ethics

A university professor had a long and distinguished career. In both private and public conversations and writings, he made it clear that he believed, with Socrates, that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Accordingly, he made a living will directing that if his mental powers declined to the point of irrationality, no lifesaving treatment should be provided to prolong his life. Eventually, dementia set in, and he became ill with a lung infection that would be terminal if untreated. In a dispute over the enforcement of the professor’s living will, his family and hospital officials squared off. For this assessment, assume each of these roles and write a recommendation for the professor’s care from each perspective. Preparation Use the Capella library, the suggested resources, and valid Internet resources to research deontological and consequentialist ethical approaches and the concept of a living will. Directions Acting as if you are the professor’s family, write a 2–3-page recommendation including the following: Explain your understanding of the bioethical dilemma that exists. Explain (briefly) the nature of deontological ethics using one or more philosophers. Apply deontological ethics to this case to reach a decision about the professor’s care. Construct arguments in favor of the family decision. Anticipate counterarguments to this conclusion which you answer from a deontological position. Switch to the role of the hospital and write a 2–3-page recommendation including the following. Explain your understanding of the bioethical dilemma that exists. Explain (briefly) the nature of consequentialist ethics using one or more philosophers. Demonstrate how issues in consequentialist ethics apply to this case. State the decision that the hospital administrator has made using consequentialist ethics. Anticipate counterarguments to the conclusion which you answer from a consequentialist position.  Additional Requirements Length: Submit 4–6 pages, not including the title page and reference page, which you must also include in your assessment. References: Cite at least 2 current scholarly or professional resources per recommendation, for a total of 4 resources. Format: Follow current APA style and formatting guidelines for your references. Font: Use Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced font.