HON 365:  Ethical Issues in Science

 

Case Study #1 – Heroism and Harm

 

          Several years ago, the mother of two children donated one of her kidneys to her son who was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.  Now, her 12-year old daughter has been found to have the same condition.  The daughter is currently dialysis dependent and the mother wants to donate her second kidney to her daughter.  When asked, she said she would rather deal with the dialysis herself while waiting for a cadaveric organ than put her child through that.  She realizes that no organ is guaranteed, and even if one were to become available, the wait could be several years.

 

Questions to ponder:

  1. What is the physician’s duty to her patient? Are we harming the mother to save the daughter?  If so, is this acceptable?  If not acceptable, why was it acceptable to harm the mother when she donated her first kidney?

 

  1. To what extent should the physician advance the patient’s interests?  Is a claim that this is a “medically unreasonable” request reasonable?  If so, why is it unreasonable?  Should the mother’s psychological needs be taken into account?  Assess the risk-benefit ratio for the mother and daughter. 

 

 

  1.  Does allowing a patient to donate a second kidney set a precedent that might subtly but unacceptably pressure other parents or loved ones to do the same?  Is this “passive coercion” acceptable for donating one kidney but not two?

 

  1. How is this mother’s desire to support her child different than the case of a mother who wishes to sell one kidney in order to secure money to support her children?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compliments of Greg, Loeben, University of Arizona, Health Sciences Center