Bioethics in Medicine, Exemplified by the Karen Ann...

It is accepted that the advances in resuscitation techniques, initiated and influenced the evolution of bioethics by bringing to the fore the questions of: (i) just allocation of scarce medical resource, health care (ii) the nature of â€Å"being†, and (iii) the proper purpose of medicine. The main issues that caused the emergence, or the study and introduction of bioethics was the introduction of modern technology in medicine in the form of respirators and artificial heart machines. The media attention to the Karen Ann Quinlan case made the issues public. The Karen Ann Quinlan case serves as a perfect example of these new issues. She was diagnosed with a persistent vegetative state, and her life was sustained with a respirator and†¦show more content†¦This implies a downgrading of the importance of the human body. The most important lesson learned from this case was the revising of medical treatment. Medicine should treat patients as autonomous subjects. Thus came about the development of autonomy based ethics principles. â€Å"Ethics needs principles – four can encompass the rest – and the respect for autonomy should be ‘first among equals†. (Gillon, 2003) The limitations regarding, â€Å"the right to life† was a topical issue at the time of the Karen Quinlan case. The court ruled that the decision should be in the hands of ethics committees, another important realisation from the Quinlan case ruling. Many ethics committees were formed to make the decisions. Hospitals and all extended care facilities got an ethics committee. It was thought that they should be the decision making body in the future. However, it is now the opinion of experts that the authority of the ethics committees is limited. Any decision must belong to patients, and/ or their proxy. Out of this case there has also developed advanced health directives, which led to a society becoming aware of the need to create living wills as to what family members were to do or not to do in conditions of â€Å"extraordinary† medical care. The power of attorney also came to the forefront. Many people today would recognise the name of Terry Schiavo. Karen