Philosophy 911 November 28, 2007
Posted by NettyD in Philosophy, Theories and Thoughts.trackback
Having been inspired by Alexander McCall Smith’s series of books, The Sunday Philosophy Club, I’ve decided to start a new blog series that raises moral and ethical questions to you, the readers. I’m hoping for diverse answers from all of you, so don’t hold back!
[Photo courtesy of simmons.edu]
SITUATION:
Mr. and Mrs. Z have given birth to their first child, who has been born with a permanent genetic illness. Mr. and Mrs. Z would like to have more children, but figure it is a good idea to get prenatal screenings to see what the chances are of producing another child with this illness. It is discovered that in order for the illness to be present in the offspring, BOTH parents must carry the gene. It is also determined that Mrs. Z is a carrier, but Mr. Z is not! This deduces that the father of the child is another man.
QUESTION:
How should the doctor or medical facility break the news? Should only Mrs. Z be told, and then left to inform her husband? Or is it the doctor’s responsibility to maintain the professional relationship he has with Mr. Z and tell him the news?
The husband submitted to a genetic test along with the wife and should have access to at least his own results. In this case, he would have a 0% chance of having a child with that particular illness. The wife’s results would not even have to be mentioned for the husband to realize that the child was not his.
The doctor can not keep this information from the husband over his own personal moral views – He must disclose individual test results to each individual.
The doctor in my opinion should have a meeting with the couple and let him know what he has found. Along with all the the tests that have been given to each parent the results should be self explanatory. Both parents need to know. Together they are planning on having a child TOGETHER, it is only appropriate to put the truth to the front.