Ethical Reflection on Parenthood - Essay Example

The hospital in question referenced for the individuals to a Planned Parenthood clinic that could perform the operation/abortion they were seeking. Although it is unclear whether or not one or both of the twins could have survived if more timely action had taken place, it is affirmatively clear that the likelihood of one of the twins surviving could have been maximized if the hospital had the potential to perform the abortion when it was immediately required. Sadly, because of the ethical interpretation that such institutions hold onto, a baseline of help that would have been available to the patient was non-existent; further restricting the potential resources and means of address that this particular situation required.

A further ethical reflection reveals the fact that even though an element of the Hippocratic Oath requires the medical professional to not harm, they are also required to address the healthcare needs and promote life whenever possible. As can be seen, these two requirements of the Hippocratic oath, conflict with one another about the case in question. Rather than abandoning the Hippocratic Oath and attempting to forge and new ethical consideration that could address the situation at hand, it must be understood that the unique case represents a situation in which definitive action must be taken as a means of preserving the potential life that existed within the womb (Raghavan, 1). By refusing the act in a time of need, the ethical burden is not only on the hospital and its staff concerning not performing the abortion in conjunction with the parent’s wishes, it is also at fault for seeing the situation, prescribing a solution scenario, and then not correctly addressing this scenario. A further level of understanding and ethical analysis can be had concerning the fact that the medical professionals intimately knew what was required for one of the fetuses to have a chance at viability; however, due to the constraints that had been placed upon them, they were perfectly willing to recommend that the patients in question utilize an abortion service that could perform the very same task that they were recommending. In effect, the absurdity of this particular situation is only matched by its level of ethical denial. Rather than seeking to address the immediate needs of the patient and promoting the potential for helping viability for all parties involved, inaction was what was evidenced.