UNIT 1: ETHICAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH BABIES BORN AT RISK

Babies cannot speak for themselves. They are among the most vulnerable individuals in society. Who should be speaking for them? What actions are in the best interests of babies whose lives start out troubled or are compromised early by accident and disease? What rights do babies have? What about the rights of their parents and others who participate in their care?

The cases and questions in Unit 1 explore the fair treatment of babies, their family members, and society as a whole. Each of the five case studies raises a number of ethical issues that are not unique to at-risk babies but pertain to all people who are seriously ill, dying, or compromised physically or mentally. Students are asked to consider some challenging questions about the value of life, about who has the right or obligation to speak for infants, about when it is and is not appropriate for courts to intervene, and about balancing family, medical, social, legal, economic, and ethical factors. What actions in what circumstances are ethically defensible and which ones are not? Are there ever justifiable reasons to withhold life-sustaining treatments, to let imperiled babies die, to actually help sick babies die, or to do less for handicapped babies than for those who are healthy?

Read a Sample Text from Unit 1 (Chapter 3: Anencephalic Babies)

Read the Text of Unit 1 (Must have Alumni/Alumnae Access to read the Unit)