Assignment: Case Study on Moral Status Essay

Assignment: Case Study on Moral Status Essay

Assignment  Case Study on Moral Status Essay

 

In life, human beings encounter hardships and challenging dilemmas. Often, we are required to make a decision about circumstances we face; however, the options we take can either break or build our future (Doherty & Purtilo, 2015). Jessica and her husband Marco also faced a moral difficulty regarding the health status of their unborn child, and this necessitated them to make a decision, yet they faced a host of challenges. In the “Case Study: Fetal Abnormality,” Jessica, Dr. Wilson Maria and Marco form part of the interest persons in the moral situation therein. A conflict between religious perspectives and the reality of the financial status of the couple result in a dilemma concerning the correct option to take in this situation. The present study delves into Christian perspectives on human life, a description of different theories of moral status and attempts to provide a decision based on a number of options for the couple.

Christian View about the Nature of Human Persons and the Theory of Moral Status

According to the Christian perspective, human beings are viewed as sacred creatures intrinsically modeled in the image of God. The religious view holds that human persons ought to be preserved from conception through the entirety of life up to death. Besides, the Christian view illustrates that the human world needs to be renewed through salvation to sustain God’s love due to our sin that was forgiven by Christ (Killmister, 2017). In the contemporary society, Christian faith battles against physical and moral evils, which contributes to the conditions pertaining to the dignity of human person. The foundations of human dignity are based on the rights to food, shelter, clothing the right to earn a living for the well-being of a family.

The moral status theory on human properties is compatible with the Christian view on the nature of the human person. According to the theory, human persons have full moral status since they are nurtured by man and therefore have a genetic code that relates to their family of origin. Moreover, the theory confers dignity to man and that the latter have rights that ought to be valued.

Theories Used by the Four Individuals

In this case, Jessica, Maria, Marco and Dr. Wilson have different opinions, which guide decisions on next cause of action. The response in action commences after the diagnosis made by Dr. Wilson. In proposing for abortion on medical grounds for the fetus, Dr. Wilson utilizes the theory of cognitive properties. The theory postulates that in order for a human person to have moral status, one needs to manifest a level of awareness and rationality and the fetus do not demonstrate either of these characteristics (Bernstein, 2015). In other words, the fetus is not entitled to a moral status to accept or reject abortion. Dr. Wilson also takes into account the moral agency theory when he informs Jessica that the next course of action depends on her decision about the situation.

Jessica is trapped between the dilemma of financial independence and her belief on the value of life. She has a moral obligation and a perception that she is responsible for the well-being of the fetus. With this, Jessica utilizes the theory of moral agency, and therefore she has an option to keep the pregnancy if she considers life valuable as well as sacred (Kaczor, 2014). Likewise, Aunt Maria is opposed to the idea of the termination of the fetus. She believes that it was God’s intention for existing the status of the unborn child and that Jessica had an obligation to respect it (Kaczor, 2014). Based on this, Maria adopts the divine command theory whereby God is considered as the sole creator and also the source of morality to human people. She also uses the moral agency theory, which illustrates that a person should not interfere with the rights of other people simply because they have a relationship with them (Killmister, 2017). This is consistent with the argument concerning the relationship between a parent and a child or fetus. Parents, for instance, need to protect and nurture but not to kill their child or terminate the life of their fetus.

Moreover, Marco utilizes the moral agency theory when he reflected upon the status of the unborn child. He also takes into account the consciousness and sentience theory by focusing on the value of life as opposed to scientific or financial perspective (Bernstein, 2015). Marco reflects on the life he would lead with a Down’s syndrome child who also presents other disabilities related to deformed limbs.

How the Theories Influence their Recommendations for Action

The cognitive properties theory is based on evaluation of quality of life outcome on the patient as predicted by Dr. Wilson. This may initiate the need for an abortion as Jessica and Marco may not be in a position to support the care of the child in his developmental stages after it is borne (Doherty & Purtilo, 2015). The moral agency and the divine command theories, on the other hand, compel Jessica to keep the child. The weight of the decision is against the termination of the fetus and Jessica is likely to keep the pregnancy.

Assignment: Case Study on Moral Status Essay The Chosen Theory and Conclusion

Based on the case presented, I choose the sentience theory since I believe that the fetus lacks the consciousness for pain or

pleasure and perception or thought. My choice for the theory is also guided by an argument that the fetus has no sufficient capacity for a moral status. Based on this premise, I propose a recommendation for an abortion. This is because the fetus has developmental deformities, which will be expensive for the poor parents to sustain if they want the child to have a quality life. Giving birth to a disabled child may also comprise the intimate relationship of the couple which might lead to a break-up.

 

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© 2019. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Case Study: Fetal AbnormalityJessica is a 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico City. She and her husband Marco have been in the United States for the last three years and have finally earned enough money to move out of their Aunt Maria’s home and into an apartment of their own. They are both hard workers. Jessica works 50 hours a week at a local restaurant and Marco has been contracting side jobs in construction. Six months before their move to an apartment, Jessica finds out she is pregnant. Four months later, Jessica and Marco arrive at the county hospital, a large, public, nonteaching hospital. A preliminary ultrasound indicates a possible abnormality with the fetus. Further scans are conducted, and it is determined that the fetus has a rare condition in which it has not developed any arms and will not likely develop them. There is also a 25% chance that the fetus may have Down syndrome. Dr. Wilson, the primary attending physician, is seeing Jessica for the first time since she and Marco did not receive earlier prenatal care over concerns about finances. Marco insists that Dr. Wilson refrain from telling Jessica the scan results, assuring him that he will tell his wife himself when she is emotionally ready for the news. While Marco and Dr. Wilson are talking in another room, Aunt Maria walks into the room with a distressed look on her face. She can tell that something is wrong and inquires of Dr. Wilson. After hearing of the diagnosis, she walks out of the room wailing loudly and praying aloud. Marco and Dr. Wilson continue their discussion, and Dr. Wilson insists that he has an obligation to Jessica as his patient and that she has a right to know the diagnosis of the fetus.

He furthermore is intent on discussing all relevant factors and options regarding the next step, including abortion. Marco insists on taking some time to think of how to break the news to Jessica, but Dr. Wilson, frustrated with the direction of the conversation, informs the husband that such a choice is not his to make. Dr. Wilson proceeds back across the hall, where he walks in on Aunt Maria awkwardly praying with Jessica and phoning the priest. At that point, Dr. Wilson gently but briefly informs Jessica of the diagnosis and lays out the option for abortion as a responsible medical alternative, given the quality of life such a child would have. Jessica looks at him and struggles to hold back her tears. Jessica is torn between her hopes of a better socioeconomic position and increased independence, along with her conviction that all life is sacred. Marco will support Jessica in whatever decision he makes but is finding it difficult not to view the pregnancy and the prospects of a disabled child as a burden and a barrier to their economic security and plans. Dr. Wilson lays out all of the options but clearly makes his view known that abortion is “scientifically” and medically a wise choice in this situation. Aunt Maria pleads with Jessica to follow through with the pregnancy and allow what “God intends” to take place and urges Jessica to think of her responsibility as a mother.

Case Study on Moral Status

Based on \”Case Study: Fetal Abnormality\” and other required topic study materials, write a 750-1,000-word reflection that answers the following questions:

What is the Christian view of the nature of human persons, and which theory of moral status is it compatible with? How is this r
related to the intrinsic human value and dignity?

Which theory or theories are being used by Jessica, Marco, Maria, and Dr. Wilson to determine the moral status of the fetus? What from the case study specifically leads you to believe that they hold the theory you selected?

How does the theory determine or influence each of their recommendations for action?

What theory do you agree with? Why? How would that theory determine or influence the recommendation for action?
Remember to support your responses with the topic of study materials.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for as

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.

Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.

Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?

Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.

If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.

I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.

As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:

Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.

Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• Student paper example
• Citing Sources
• The Writing Center is a great resource