Background of the Case
The task of the health care ethics committee manager is to make a competent decision based on logical conclusions and ethical principles. A child born with anencephaly has human rights but cannot normally exist due to certain physical abnormalities, such as the absence of a brain. The baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit, where doctors and nurses keep him alive with equipment.
At the same time, parents had different opinions about whether to keep the child alive and further. Due to a congenital pathology, he can never grow up as a full-fledged person and interact with people. The absence of the brain also makes it impossible for him to come to a conscious state. In connection with this, the father wants to stop the support, and the mother asks to continue the treatment. The advice of the medical team is to stop further support. Therefore, in view of all the circumstances, the ethics committee should recommend that child support be discontinued.
Major Stakeholders in the Case
Identifying stakeholders is an important step in resolving the current situation regarding child support. In such a situation, the main stakeholders are the parents of the child, the medical staff, and all the people who provide care (Logan et al., 2020). The task of the ethical manager in the clinic is to analyze all available information and draw an appropriate conclusion as to which decision is the right one. At the same time, it should consider all stakeholders’ opinions and assess potential ethical risks for them.
Ultimate Decision Makers in the Case
Despite all recommendations and advice from the Nursing Doctors or Ethics Commission, the parents of the Baby Bundle will make the final decision in this situation. They have the right to determine whether a child in a serious condition should continue to be supported (Mitchell et al., 2019). In order to help them make an informed, logical decision, staff must provide parents with all the necessary reliable information. This way, they can better analyze the situation to decide for the child.
Baby Bundle’s Rights in the Case
Any child has exclusive rights at birth, even if his life functions are significantly limited. In this case, Baby Bundle was born with significant developmental defects yet is entitled to support and relief from pain and suffering. In addition, children have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter how critical their condition is (World Health Organization, 2019). At the same time, the child’s parents have the right to make decisions about their maintenance. They should be based on the child’s rights and the ethical and medical issues that affect their decision.
Relevant Ethical Theories and Principles
Principle of Beneficence
Either ethical theories or principles can be attributed to this case, which will ultimately help make a decision. One of the principles can be called beneficence, which refers to the fact that the child is a key beneficiary of services at birth (Lulé et al., 2019). Therefore, all physicians and the medical team should provide all necessary care and treatment to maximize benefit and minimize harm to the child. Because the baby is in pain and suffering and has a poor prognosis, the medical team concluded that the best solution under this principle would be to discontinue the Baby Bundle’s life support.
Principle of Non-Maleficence
Another important principle in medicine is to do no harm. In connection with this, doctors should not perform any actions that can directly or indirectly cause harm to the patient. In this case, the provision of medical and nursing procedures may be accompanied by a violation of this principle as the child experiences pain and suffering.
Utilitarianism
In addition, in the context of this situation, the theory of utilitarianism can be considered. It suggests that people should maximize overall happiness and minimize suffering (Vercellotti, 2019). In this regard, the state of the newborn can be regarded not as care but as the maintenance of suffering, which contradicts the above theory. In addition, many resources are spent on child care that could be redirected to maximize the happiness of other newborns with a chance of survival.
Role of the Health Care Manager in the Ethics Committee Decision
In this case, the role of the health care manager and ethics committee member is to ensure that the correct ethical decision is made as to whether or not to keep the baby bundle alive. When making a decision, it is essential to take into account all the factors that may affect the life of the child (Lulé et al., 2019). It must be based on ethical principles and theories that may be considered in this case. The manager must decide whether treatment should be continued, considering the child’s best interests in the first place in a way that does not limit their rights at birth.
Based on the analysis and the data received from the medical team and nurses, it is possible to come to a decision in this case. It is recommended that the Ethics Committee take the side of the medical staff and advise parents to stop the treatment of Baby Bundle. Such a decision is the most ethically correct for the child (Lulé et al., 2019). It would be unethical to allow Baby Bundle to continue being treated, thereby condemning him to constant suffering and pain.
Recommendation to the Ethics Committee for Next Steps
It is essential to note that the Health and Ethics Committee Manager is responsible for recommending the most appropriate ethical decisions. At the same time, such an authorized person must consider all possible principles and theories associated with ethics to draw a competent conclusion on the current situation. The results of the analysis may be taken into account by the decision maker in the form of the child’s parents, and in such a case, the termination of life support will be performed.
References
Logan, H., Cumming, T., & Wong, S. (2020). Sustaining the work-related wellbeing of early childhood educators: Perspectives from key stakeholders in early childhood organisations. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(1), 95-113. Web.
Lulé, D., Kübler, A., & Ludolph, A. C. (2019). Ethical principles in patient-centered medical care to support quality of life in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Frontiers in neurology, 10, 259. Web.
Mitchell, S., Spry, J. L., Hill, E., Coad, J., Dale, J., & Plunkett, A. (2019). Parental experiences of end of life care decision-making for children with life-limiting conditions in the paediatric intensive care unit: a qualitative interview study. BMJ open, 9(5). Web.
Vercellotti, H. (2019). Health for All: Using Utilitarianism to Require Childhood Vaccinations. Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest. Web.
World Health Organization. (2019). Survive and thrive: Transforming care for every small and sick newborn. Web.