Henry Rayhon's Ethical Issues

The presentation of group 9 was on the case of Henry Rayhon, 78, who was charged with third degree felony sexual abuse for having sex with his wife who is in a nursing home with alzheimer's. He faced a 10 year sentence if found guilty. The relationship Henry shared with his wife was described as a loving relationship, and she was always happy to see him. There was no physical or emotional signs of abuse/rape. The doctors that evaluated Mrs.Rayhon advised Henry in writing prior to the act that she did not have capacity to consent to sex. Henry Rayhon was found not guilty of third degree felony sexual abuse. One of the ethical dilemmas that the group raised in the presentation was autonomy versus paternalism because people have the right to make their own decisions about sexual relations but at the same time health care providers also are responsible for the patients safety and …show more content…
The first premise helps to explain what dementia is and how it can affect a person's mentally which includes memory loss, mental confusion and the inability to speak and understand language. The second premise gives a clear definition of how someone can make a true autonomous choice which is important for their topic since it involves consent. The third one, is normative as they state that health care providers should be obligated to use their professional judgement to protect their patients from any form of harm while the patients are in their care. Which leads to the conclusion that health care providers have an obligation to protect their patients from harm and that it is impermissible for them to allow patients with dementia to engage in sexual experiences due the illness which affects their ability to to autonomously consent to sex. The argument is logically strong with very little room for loopholes to counter