David Austin Timpson

HS 2050

This I Have Learned

Rights of patients and physicians

1. Patient autonomy, truth-telling, and confidentiality

Throughout the course of this semester, I have developed my sense of ethical healthcare

practices, such as patient autonomy, truth-telling, and confidentiality. At the beginning of the

semester my thoughts about these topics were only that they were necessary. This course has

challenged my thinking, because there are instances when it is easy to wish that these didn’t

exist. For example, I hated reading about parents who refused to accept procedures that would

save their lives as well as the lives of their children. It made me wish there was an ethical detour

around patient autonomy. Also, I learned that it can be tempting to breach confidentiality for the

sake of someone’s health or well being. In summation, I still think that these concepts are very

important, but I learned that debates surrounding them aren’t solely black and white which will

help me in the future.

2. Medical research ethics and informed consent

The chapter about this subject in our textbook opened my eyes to why this question,

which seems logical, has to be discussed. Although informed consent should be required while

experimenting on humans, I learned about a number of instances where it was not, at least to its
fullest extent. I now know that the reason we debate this issue is that while informed consent is

ethical, it isn’t always profitable. The specific example of men in prison being allowed to have

research done on them comes to mind. Men in prison had the option to join a study, which did

not constitute informed consent because the didn’t know the horrible side effects that would

plague them, as well as the fact that they were coerced into it with a large amount of money

compared to their prison wages, and a safe environment as opposed to the danger of normal life

with all the other prisoners. These lessons prompt me to ask for more details about the context

surrounding informed consent when the topic presents itself in the future.

Controls

3. Genetic control

The main way that my views on genetic control have changed during this course is mainly in

realizing the prevalence that this science will have in the future. I learned that research about this

issue is happening at a very fast pace, so it is important that the powers that be create ethical

guidelines for this new technology now. Also, I felt my social awareness grow with this subject

more than any other this semester, as I stumbled upon numerous conversations and newspieces

regarding CRISPR, of which I knew nothing about before this semester. I know that as this

technology develops, the conversation about it will increase, and I will be glad that I had this

class to provide me with a foundation for discussing it.

4. Reproductive control
 Discussing this topic has reaffirmed for me the importance of being open minded. I learned

that a lot of reproductive science that is prevalent today, such as in vitro fertilization, was once

very new and controversial. This helped me realize that new technology often works a lot better

than we plan for it to, and I now think that it is better to have faith in technology than to fight

against it on every front. As I learn about new technology in my life, I will do my best to imagine

all of the positive possibilities instead of immediately labeling it as is unnatural and therefore

evil.

Terminations

5. Abortion

As I lived in Utah County, I believe that I have limited experience with people who are

pro-choice as opposed to pro-life. That being said I believe that this section of the course helped

me to understand other people's viewpoints better when deciding whether or not to get an

abortion. I believe that whereas before I had a vague understanding of abortion, I now have a

better ability to communicate with people who have had abortions or are thinking about getting

abortions. This situation actually did come up with a relative, and I felt much better equipped.

On top of that, one of the most personal ways in which this module helped me was it provided

me a opportunity to discuss what my wife believes about this subject. In summation, this specific

module helped me to not only understand different viewpoints of the world at large better, but

also helped me better understand the beliefs that the person closest to me holds about abortion.

6. Treating or terminating impaired infants

 This specific module helped me more than any of the other ones to understand how vastly

viewpoints can differ. One specific assignment in this module had me read different scenarios

which had happened concerning parents who had impaired infants born to them. Many of these

scenarios ended with parents of newly born impaired children committing terrible acts of

violence to those babies. This was very difficult to read about, and also forced me to reevaluate

my philosophy about some of the biggest questions of life. I discovered that while some people

believe that suffering from birth is a fate worse than death, others believe that a fulfilling life can

only be achieved through suffering. I also resolved to listen to situations of this nature more

sensitively, as the emotions that are involved here are probably indescribable to anyone who is

not experiencing them.

7. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide

During this module, we watched a couple of videos that not only expanded my

knowledge about euthanasia in general, but also challenged my beliefs. I gained a broader

knowledge about laws dealing with euthanasia in different states and countries. I also got to see

first-hand what euthanasia actually consisted of. I believe that now, if I had a conversation with

somebody about euthanasia, I would be a lot more equipped to speak about the facts of laws

regarding euthanasia. More personally, if later in my life I am diagnosed with a painful illness I

will have a better idea about the options available to me.

Resources

8. Organ transplants and scarce medical resources

 I knew a lot less about this topic before I took this class. It was very sobering to watch

video footage of people in developing countries with giant scars on their sides where they had

had kidneys removed. I believe that I am a better citizen now, because after this module I now

have an arsenal of information about a controversial subject which I previously knew nothing

about. Finally, I feel much stronger now about the waste of life-saving resources that occurs

when people are buried with their perfectly good organs.

9. Distributing health care (How it should be allocated based on age/status/ability to pay)

I learned a lot in this module that has helped me to be a more informed citizen, most

notably the events that occurred at Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina, which had

huge implications in the field of Health Ethics. I especially enjoyed learning about the town hall-

style meeting that took place after this event in New Orleans, because it demonstrated just how

different everybody's ideas are about how life-saving resources should be distributed. This

helped me to understand that there are a lot of good ideas about how to distribute medical aid,

but the decision will ultimately be made by those in power.

Challenges

10. Health care for women

In this module, my understanding of the reproductive differences between men and

women was solidified. My viewpoint changed as I came to understand how important women's

roles in the reproductive process are, and the challenges that come along with that. This chapter

especially helped me broaden my understanding of health ethics, because a lot of questions were
presented here I am not personally familiar with, as I am a man. The clearest example of this that

I can think of was the situation that we discussed where a woman was being pressured by a man

to make a decision that would likely end her life and the life of her baby. This specific example

helped me to conceptualize not only the unique position that women are in as far as reproduction

goes, but also the negative role that man can play in that situation.

11. Health care for minorities

In this module my schema changed, from Simply Having ideals about equality across

ethnic lines to more fully understanding the challenges that faced minorities in this country, as

far as health care goes. I learned a lot of sobering statistics about how diabetes affects minorities.

I also learned about how asthma in African American communities is much more prevalent than

in white populations. This new information has helped me understand the disparity between

Healthcare opportunities in this country, and has made me want to take action to do something

about fixing the problem.

12. Health care for and responsibilities of those with AIDS/HIV

I wasn't alive in the 1980s when the AIDS crisis happened in this country. Therefore, I

believe that my stance on policies concerning people with HIV is probably quite different than

those who are older than me. This idea that I had was solidified during my readings in this

module, as I learned about harsh laws discriminating against people with HIV that seem to be

rooted in hatred. However, I also learned that there is reason to be hopeful, as there are real

statistics that show that the epidemic is being resolved, however slowly.
Conclusion

This Health Ethics class was quite interesting, because as technology advances we are

forced to make decisions about how that technology should be used. To make these kinds of

decisions, we must evaluate our thoughts about some of the biggest questions that humanity

faces. Although this class has impacted me by expanding my knowledge about specifics in a

variety of subjects, I believe that the greatest impact that this class had on me was to force me to

think metacognitively about my own personal values and beliefs. At the conclusion of this class,

I not only feel more informed about current issues that face humanity, but I also feel that I know

more about myself.