Ethical Dilemma Paper

When presented with an ethical dilemma, such that of Cecilias and if she should pursue treatment for cancer while she is pregnant and fetal demise is likely, it is vital that the dilemma be addressed with a set of guidelines that allow an answer to become apparent. The Four principles approach to Bioethical questions is a guideline that can aid in finding an answer to tough ethic questions. The four principles are Respect for autonomy, Beneficence, Non maleficence, and Justice. In the case presented above, pertaining to cancer treatment and fetal demise, it is imperative that the answer come from Cecilia and that she is made aware of the consequences that result from the decisions she is being asked to make. The four principles approach to …show more content…
Beneficence is not easily defined and can get a little complicated when trying to define it. The overall goal of beneficence is make the decision that will result in the most good for the patient. However, determining what is good and how much of that good will outweigh the negative of choosing that decision is where the confusion occurs. Utility is a term that comes from the principle of beneficence and it states that the person making the decision must identify the good in the situation and then weigh that good against the risk involved. In Cecilia’s situation she must weigh the benefit of treatment against the risk of losing the baby. Her doctors only gave her a 5-year survival rate of about 55% to 65% and they made it aware that by taking treatment fetal demise will happen; however, if she waits six weeks the doctors said theres a good chance of the fetus surviving. Beneficence means that Cecilia must weigh her odds of surviving against that of the odds of the fetus living if she decides to postpone treatment for six weeks. This decision is not an easy one but Cecilia must focus on the situation that she is now more than the one she will face later. By opting out of treatment and waiting the six weeks she is still not guaranteed that the fetus will survive and on top of that she will be forced to pay expensive medical bills that result from …show more content…
Non maleficence most simply means that harm should be avoided at all costs. This relates to beneficence because it is always the reverse idea. Beneficence being that answer to the question is found by what creates the most good, but non maleficence says that it is what causing the least harm. Just like beneficence, Cecilia must weigh the possible risks of her choices before making that choice. It is important to note that non maleficence does not state where Cecilia must weigh ever single risk or just the more likely ones to occur (Lawerence 36). It would be impossible for Cecilia to evaluate every single risk that could occur from her decision and it may cloud her judgment on the issue because she would have to assess highly unlikely outcomes like if she were to wait the six weeks and her baby is healthy but grows up to be a serial killer. Outcomes like these that are extremely unlikely should be left out of consideration when deciding what the correct option is for Cecilia and she should focus on the most likely outcomes and whether the risk of harm outweighs the good of treatment. This can be related back to how the government treats abortion cases where the the mother is in harm or can benefit from the procedure. If nearly all states agree that it is right for the mother to be able to get an abortion if there is medical reason to have one then it would make sense that