Separating Conjoined Twins: An Unintended but Foreseen Killing?
[Taken from Veatch et. al. 2015. Case Studies in Biomedical Ethics. Oxford University Press, pages 178-180]
Michelangelo and Rina Attard, living on the island of Gozo in Malta, were expecting to be parents. When they discovered Mrs. Attard was carrying conjoined twins, they traveled to Manchester, England, since no adequate facility to care for the babies existed at their home. The twins, Gracie and Rosie, were born at St. Mary's Hospital in Manchester on August 8, 2000. The twins were joined at the abdomen. Gracie was described as bright and alert with an anatomically normal brain, heart, lungs, and liver. Rosie, on the other hand, had significant brain pathology and relied on Gracie's heart and lungs for her blood supply. Separating the twins would mean the certain death of Rosie, but Gracie had a good chance of survival with moderate physical impairment that would require further operations to correct. Without intervention to separate the twins, they would both die within three to six months.
Explain how the doctors could justify performing this procedure based on the doctrine of double effect. Be sure to explain all the necessary criteria.
Doctorine of double effect states that with a single act, there is negative consequence as well as positive consequence at same time. Here in the case, it is evident that if conjoined twins will be separated, one will die and other will have moderate physical impairment that cN be corrected with some operations in future. But if they left conjoined , they both will die. So it seems ethically permissible to conduct the procedure as with the procedure at least one life can be saved instead of two being lost by not performing.
according to doctorine, i think good results of procedure outweigh bad results so doctors should proceed with the procedure.
Separating Conjoined Twins: An Unintended but Foreseen Killing? [Taken from Veatch et. al. 2015. Case Studies...
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