Preterm Labor vs. Prenatal Harm
Through advance
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Through advances in medical technology, the opportunities for intervening with patient destiny by restoring heart beat and respiration or kidney function, among other symptoms, are both numerous and fascinating. However, some people may believe that their destiny should not be tampered with (Tolumin, 1981). The question of whether to give or withhold care is a moral decision which health care professionals must deal with. Client choices may be justified by the principle of self-determination, and other decisions may be justified by the principle of the patient's best interests. Further complications arise when a pregnant but competent mother makes decisions regarding her fetus that will probably bring harm to it. Since a fetus cannot speak for itself, the question arises as to who will speak for it. Sound ethical decisions require listening to the mother and understanding the rights and meaning of personhood. Health care personnel must also analyze their attitudes, beliefs, and values after sticking to their professional policies and procedures and, finally, adhering to the law. The case to be analyzed concerns preterm labor and prenatal harm. The subject is a 19-year-old unmarried woman, pregnant for the third time, having previously had an abortion at 15 and a daughter who is now 10 months old. The woman was admitted to the hospital in the 26th or 27th week of gestation and placed on intravenous medications, including magnesium
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or does not seem to have serious doubts about her competency to make decisions, but he thinks that her decision is a bad one. However, his respect for her autonomy does not allow him to use her psychiatric diagnosis to force her to make good decisions, and only a court can declare incompetency (Marquis & Steinback, 1989). If the doctor does not interfere with the patient's liberty, then she is not at much more of a risk without the medication, but if the medication is stopped and the fetus lives, it may be retarded or experience respiratory problems, so this contraindicates the ideas of beneficence and non-maleficence toward the fetus.
The second alternative, to abide by the patient's wishes but transfer care to a physician who is willing to comply with her wishes, seems to be an evasion by the physician because it relieves the physician of responsibility for what happens. This alternative also respects the patient's right to autonomy and self-determination, but the doctor still is not promoting good or preventing harm to the fetus because the next physician will allow the patient to stop taking the tocolytic medications. The doctor is not interfering with the patient's liberty by transferring her care to another physical wh
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Marquis Steinback, Bandman Bandman, Prenatal Harm, Deontological Ethical, Immanuel Kant, Nurse's Association, Code Nurses, Center Report, Nursing Science, autonomy self-determination, Nurses' Association, patient's wishes, prenatal harm, preterm labor, respect patient's, bandman bandman, respect patient's wishes, transfer care physician, transfer care, comply wishes, quality care, care physician, hastings center report, labor prenatal harm, wishes transfer care,
Approximate Word count = 2729
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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