Personhood the Central Question in Medical Ethics

Personhood: The central question in Medical Ethics A patient is lying on a hospital bed hooked up to several machines regulating his bodily functions. The doctor has informed the family that the patient is brain dead. His spouse makes the decision to pull the plug but his mother argues against it. It is the mothers opinion that her son is still alive, and deserves to be treated like a person, even though his brain is no longer functioning. The spouse holds the opinion that any trace of her loved one has left with the death of his brain and only his body remains. Suddenly, both remember the patients wishes to not be sustained on life support, and they collectively decide to pull the plug. This example illustrates the central debate†¦show more content†¦Once again, the question of whether an individual is a person or not, is central in arguments concerning the ethics of cloning. The issue arises once more in the arguments concerning Euthanasia. Euthanasia, otherwise ter med as â€Å"mercy killing† presents the option of a medical professional assisting a chronically ill, competent patient, in his/her own death. The argument for this is based around the a person’s quality of life. If the patient has no quality of life and is never going to improve, why let them suffer? In order to determine if an individual should be allowed to end their life, we must first determine if this individual can be considered a person. If so, then a person has a right to a good quality of life, and should be allowed to decide if he/she will continue living in misery. If not, then a doctor must do what is medically best, ie: keep the individual alive as long as possible. The same central issue arises in those placed on life support. If a person is purely in the mind/brain, then in regards to a patient who is brain dead, withholding essential medical treatment or to even actively stop the body from functioning could never be considered unethical, in fact, it c ould be considered morally justifiable. If the soul is what makes up the person, then who is to say that the soul leaves the body when the brain stops functioning? The medical professional would then still be morallyShow MoreRelatedPermitting Abortion and Prohibiting Prenatal Harm Essay2987 Words   |  12 Pagesinvolved in permitting abortion while at the same time prohibiting prenatal harm. (1) This contradiction can be stated in personhood terms and in terms of the womans rights. Id like to elucidate that contradiction and examine three solutions which rise out of current literature; Id like then to propose a somewhat new, fourth solution. 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