Ethical Considerations Project

Ethical Considerations Project Ethical Considerations I believe the ethical considerations in Brownfield v. Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital is for all hospitals to provide all information and access to emergency contraceptives to sexual assault and rape victims. In the defense of Brownfield, emergency contraceptives, Plan B, and oral synthetic hormones is the most common type of emergency contraceptives that should have been disclosed to her upon her request. These contraceptives are often called the “morning after pill or Plan B”.

Some legal considerations are the Principles of Informed Consent. What this principle imposes is it allows a competent individual to advance his or her own welfare. This right and responsibility is performed by freely and willingly consenting or refusing consent to recommended medical procedures, based on a sufficient knowledge of the benefits, burdens, and risks involved. The ability to give informed consent depends on: 1) adequate  disclosure of information; 2) patient  freedom  of choice; 3) patient  comprehension  of information; and 4) patient capacity for decision-making.

By meeting these requirements, three necessary conditions are satisfied: 1) that the individuals decision is voluntary; 2) that this decision is made with an  appropriate  understanding of the circumstances; and 3) that the patients choice is deliberate insofar as the patient has carefully considered all of the expected benefits, burdens, risks and reasonable alternatives. (“Ethical issues consent,” 2012) This becomes a matter of a legal issue when the Principles of Informed Consent can be proven in court that the victim was not given such information or allowed to exercise this principle.

Supporters of this act argue that emergency contraception is a medically accepted way of preventing pregnancy and does not represent an abortion. A group specifically formed to make sure access to emergency contraception for rape, incest, and domestic violence victims, state that victims of sexual assault should have access to the best available treatment. Other’s stressed the importance of giving victims of sexual assault medically, accurate and unbiased information and the choice to prevent an unintended pregnancy.

Even though the American Medical Association’s medically accepted standard of care includes administering emergency contraception, only some hospitals unconditionally provide emergency contraception to rape victims. Access to emergency contraception has been a heavily debated issue because there has to be a balance between protecting health care provider’s religious and moral beliefs on one hand, and providing a uniform standard of care and maintaining patient rights on the other.

This principle gives an important approach to the analysis of ethical questions arising from the general obligation to preserve human life and the limits of that obligation. Among other questions, the principle addresses whether the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment constitutes a physician-assisted suicide in certain circumstances and it guides individuals and surrogate decision-makers in the weighing of benefits and burdens. I truly agreed with the judge in his decision against the Catholic hospital.

His decision in ruling the Catholic hospital to be in the wrong simply clarifies and justifies the importance and reasons of a hospital, which is to provide medical services to those in need. Just because it was against the Catholic principles in life, they should have still abided by the Principle of Informed Consent. There are thousands of Catholic churches worldwide in which the Catholic church has their own opportunities to preach and teach their beliefs.

However, within a medical facility, I just do not believe in allowing them to preach their beliefs there. It is not the place for it. References Emergency contraception: More than a morning after pill. (1996). Medscape Today News. Retrieved from http://www. medscape. com/viewarticle/718161 Ethical issues consent. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. ukcen. net/index. php/ethical_issues/consent/legal_considerations1