Maxine Carter is 32 years old and is pregnant for her third time.
The first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage after two months. She had difficulty
conceiving for 3 years but her second pregnancy ended with a live birth
and her son is now 7 months old. She is now 17 weeks into her third pregnancy.
At 14 weeks she developed a kidney stone and the ultrasound to discover
the kidney stone also revealed that her fetus has an abnormally large bladder
which indicates a blockage in her urinary tract. If the blockage is not
corrected the fetus could die or be profoundly retarded at birth. Ms. Carter's
obstetrician initially recommended fetal surgery to place a shunt in the
fetus. Ms. Carter agreed to the surgery but further tests have revealed
that the sodium level in the amniotic fluid are 160 when they should be
80. Repeat tests two days later revealed a drop of only 10 points in the
sodium level. The obstetrician has withdrawn the suggestion for fetal surgery
stating that the continued high sodium levels have severely damaged the
fetus and that the fetus is essentially dying. Ms. Carter is trying to
decide whether to allow the fetus to die and have a "natural" miscarriage
or to have an abortion. If the fetus dies in her uterus she could become
toxic and jeopardize her possibility of becoming pregnant in the future.
She and her husband want a second child very much. 1. How could natural law ethics help to resolve this case? 2. How could the principle of double effect contribute to the resolution
of this case? 3. How should the utilities be weighed in this case? 4. In what way are the utilities in this case "incommensurable?" 5. How might virtue ethics help in the resolution of this
case? 6. How might feminist ethics help in the resolution of this case? 7. Do you think virtue ethics or feminist ethics makes resolving
this case easier than having recourse to applying the principles of bioethics? 8. What guidance does Roe v. Wade provide for the resolution
of this case? 9. What strategies would you implement to bring this case to a resolution
which maximizes the well-being of the patient? 10. Who is the patient in this case?