Ethical Issues In The Odyssey

While returning home from the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men face many hardships. One of which was traveling past Scylla and the Sirens. So, during the Sirens episode in the Odyssey, Odysseus persuades his crewmembers to tie him to the mast of his ship and fill the rest of their ears with beeswax so that while passing by the Sirens, he would not be tempted to jump into the sea. He also tells them that they should not untie him no matter how much he begs them. This event from the Odyssey was the basis for a contract that is prominent today, known as the Ulysses contract. Ulysses was the Roman name for Odysseus, and the contract is basically a decision made by someone in their right mind, that they will later be unable to reverse, just as was the case with Odysseus and the sirens. This is the case with the subject at hand who was taking antipsychotic medication for a long time. However, these medications resulted in side effects, namely the …show more content…
This was done in his right mind, not while he was suffering from the side-effects of the Prolixin drug. According to the case given, J.S heard of the experimental treatment from his therapist after he became affable and stable. Subsequently, he signed forms for treatment with experimental drugs in this state. It is clear that the treatments were done with his consent. Due to this, I believe that there should be no other consequences from this choice as it was of his own accord. However, if the decision were to be made while he was suffering from the side-effects of not taking his medication, this would’ve been another story as we would not be conscious of his actions at the time of the making of his decision. So, allowing for the experimental treatments by the patient consciously makes the wishes of the patient to be allowed into the protocol