Bioethics

Bioethics
Name
Institution
Bioethics
Question one
Studying and practicing medicine involve a number of legal and ethical issues, which revolve around the relationship all the parties concerned have with their environment. It is on this that graduating medical students or physicians takes Hippocratic Oath as a declaration of their intentions to practice medicine justly, honestly and ethically. It is a ceremonial nonobligatory oath with a promise to give the best in delivery of service. It is a historical oath widely believed to have been written either by Hippocrates who is seen as the father of western medicine or by one of his students (Miles, 2004). The oath has undergone a number of translations, modifications, and modernization but has withstood it and not lost meaning. The oath is made up of promises, declaration, covenants, and commitments.
There are five commitments in the Hippocratic Oath in, its modern version states, “I swear to fulfill to the best of my ability and judgment” (Miles, 2004). This is a covenant by doctors and physicians to utilize the best of their knowledge and judgment in fulfilling their medical duty (Miles, 2004). The second commitment acknowledges the hard-won scientific gains and appreciates the teachers who affected it on them. It is a covenant helpful to the teachers and to pass gladly the knowledge to those who follow. The third commitment is, “To ensure utilization of dietary regimens that gains patients as per my crucial capacity and decision, and I will hurt no one” (Miles, 2004). This is a commitment to apply all measures required for the best interest of the sick.
The fourth one states, “I will restrain from any toxic drug to someone in case I am not requested, nor will I recommend a scheme of that sort; and correspondingly, to a woman I will not offer a pessary that may lead to abortion” (Miles, 2004). This entails embracing ethical and human values when handling drugs, medical facts, and patients and undertaking the necessary roles (Miles, 2004), the fifth obligation comprises undertaking duties and keeping ones truthfulness in a lawful manner (Miles, 2004), is yet another commitment. This is a commitment to leave complex medical situations to more skilled and experienced colleagues. “To any family I visit, I will approach them to patient’s advantage, with no voluntary deed of indecency corruption or men and women seduction, regardless of whether they are attached or slaves” (Miles, 2004), is also a commitment. This is a covenant to keep the privacy of all details of patients within or without the profession. “I much as keep the Oath truthfully and in the absence of any misappropriation, can it given to me to oversee life entirely bad exercise my art, achieving men’s respect throughout. Neither, must I disobey the Oath and infringe it, can the contrary be my fate” (Miles, 2004). This is the last commitment; this commitment pulls the personnel accountable for his deeds. It seeks favor from gods in keeping the oath and agrees to be punished if he does not keep it.
As earlier stated, Hippocratic Oath has faced modification to the modern oaths like the one proposed by Dr. Louis Lasagn, which have changed the nature of the covenant. His version emphasized on holistic and compassionate approach on medicine. He, however, avoids mentioning the source of power but agrees that there is a supernatural power. His form of the oath is more elaborate and involves a broader spectrum of medicine.
Medicine with relevance to the oath has received challenges from tough situations such as witnessed in New Orleans at The Memorial Hospital after the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The number of patients and the nature of injuries were making it exceedingly hard to perform fully as promised.
Question two
Tooley argument on abortion and infanticide is that being human is not an essential right to be alive which indeed many non-human animals may have. He authoritatively states that abortion and infanticide should morally be permitted. His argumentative aspect is that there is a difference between a human being and being a person. He strategically lays a very convincing argument; he says that being a person in moral aspect is to mean an individual with a right to life. Tooley further argues that to destroy a potential person is more or less wrong than to prevent the existence of potential person in the first place (Allen, 2008).
Finnis uses both the potential and vagueness arguments that there is life immediately after conception. Finnis also disagrees with abortion even if it is being carried out to save the mother; this can be termed as unfair prioritization since, in my view, I do not think the fetus has more right than the mother since the mother is the sole owner of her body. Finnis fails miserably again, when it comes to the question of rape; the notion that a woman should carry a fetus that was forced on her is absurd and bits logic (Richter, 2009).
Thomson argues that even if the fetus is assumed to have the same status as ordinary adult, abortion is always allowed. Thomson uses the case of a violinist where a person has been attached to a famous violinist who needs her kidney for nine months in order to survive. Thomson imagines that it would be nice for the person to remain hooked up to the violinist; thereby saving his life. However, she is n...