Ashley is a child who has special needs. She should be supported by her parents because of her inability to lead a normal life. Her static encephalopathy condition has made it practically impossible for her to lead a normal life. The fact that Ashley can neither talk nor walk implies that she has to be given attentive care. The actions taken by her parents indicate that the parents are lovely people who are concerned about the welfare of their daughter (Grace, 79). The decisions made might be tough, but necessary for her survival. When making the decisions, the parents were supposed to apply the CRM method as well as the principles and theories of moral decision-making.
When Ashley’s parents realized that their child has special needs; they knew that it is their responsibility to ensure that she is properly brought up. The parents were therefore encouraged to make many decisions: 1) home care for the child, 2) surgical operation to block the growth of breasts, 3) removal of the uterus and appendix. The morality of these decisions can be justified using the utilitarian, situational, and consequentiaist theories of morality.
The decision to provide Ashley with home-based care was motivated by the utilitarian theory. According to this theory, the morality of an action is determined based on the magnitude of its benefits. Offering to provide Ashley with home-based care was utilitarian because it would help in bringing positive benefits to her and the family as well. The decision was morally right because it would help in ensuring that Ashley and her family are not troubled by her condition. The provision of care by her parents would be satisfying as it is done by those who love her most (Tannsjo, 39). It would give them an opportunity to closely monitor her progress and ensure that everyone is satisfied n matter how challenging the situation might be.
The decision to provide hormonal treatment to Ashley was guided by the ethical theory of consequentialism. Meaning, the parents were mainly concerned about the impacts of the action. Consequentialist theory is appropriate for justifying the morality of this action because it was aimed at enabling Ashley to limit her growth. The decision was right because it would help in making Ashley to be light in size (McCarthy and Chris, 31). Ashley should be portable because she cannot move on her own, but has to solely rely on her father to mover her around. However, it might not be possible to do so if she is heavy (Chiclana, et al, 121). Therefore, it s justifiable to inject her with hormones to help in preventing her from growing and increasing her body weight.
The situational theory can be used to justify the morality of the decisions made by Ashley’s parents. For example, the theory can help in explaining that it was right to remove Ashley’s uterus and block her breasts from developing. The action was appropriate because it would enable her to lead a more quality and better life. Although human development is a natural phenomenon, it would be justifiable to prevent Ashley from developing into a woman. She should remain a girl and live like that for the rest of her life (Monteverde, 392). Her mental condition cannot allow her to develop into a woman. It would complicate her life and make it more difficult to survive like any other normal person. Ashley’s situation compelled her parents to make decisions that would help in providing a solution to her problem (Conway and Bertram, 117). All the actions taken by the parents were reasonable because they would enable the parents to succeed in providing quality care to the incapacitated Ashley.
The static encephalopathy condition from which Ashley suffers clearly demonstrates that she should be provided with holistic support by her loved ones. It has put her parents into a dilemma because the parents should make tough decisions on how to manage and make her lead a comfortable and meaningful life. The morality of all the decisions made regarding Ashley was done in consideration to and compliance with the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and autonomy (Baumane-Vitolina, Igo and Erika, 111).
The parents applied the principle of beneficence when they opted for a home care. In their opinion, it would be much better if Ashley is cared for at home in the presence of her loved ones. The parents know that no one can provide their sick child with the most quality care than their own. The parents were right because taking the sick child to a healthcare institution might expose her to many challenges that might cause harm to her life (Grunig, 13). Caring for the patient at home would be beneficent because it would guarantee her safe care that would not cause any unnecessary harm to her.
The principle of non-maleficence was also applied when making decisions regarding the treatment of Ashley. This was evidenced when her parents advocated for the use of hormonal treatment. The use of hormones would not harm Ashley in any way. Instead, it would play a significant role in making her life much comfortable. When injected with the hormone, Ashley would not grow and increase in size. It is moral to do so because the control of her weight would make her easy to handle, care for and move around by her father who has offered to carry her around (Ford and Woodrow, 26). The same principle can be used to justify the removal of Ashley’s appendix and uterus because it would not harm her in any way. The decision made by Ashley’s parents can also be justified using the ethical principle of justice (Burkhardt and Alvita, 82). The parents were fair to insist on hormonal treatment, surgery, and the extraction of the uterus. It would help to improve the quality of Ashley’s life.
The problem facing Ashley can be resolved if appropriate decisions made in compliance with the CRM method. Its usage is appropriate because it can help in ensuring that a moral decision is made (Chadwick and Ann, 55). To do so, a thorough background analysis should be conducted to determine the magnitude of the problem at hand. Once this is done, measures should be taken to organize the decision making process. it can enable the parents to come up with appropriate decisions that can provide the most desirable solution to the problem (Gallagher, 630). The application of the CMR method was helpful in coming up with the decisions regarding hormonal treatment, removal of the uterus, and surgery.
Ashley is facing the problem of static encephalopathy. This is a disorder which has made her life to be so difficult. She is immobile, cannot talk, and mentally-retarded. This is a condition that can be addressed if appropriate interventions are given. The parents, being responsible for Ashley, should take the necessary measures to help her. The measures taken should be moral and right because they are aimed at improving her life. Ashley’s parents should not subject her to further pains and make her life more difficult.
The parents have an option of taking Ashley to a nursing home or care for her on their own. However, of all these, the best option are to care for their daughter because they can serve her better than any other healthcare provider. When caring for her, the patients should feel free to let her undergo a surgical operation and hormonal treatment. These procedures are justifiable because they will enable the patient to lead a comfortable and safe life; improve the quality if her life; and make her light to be effectively handled by her care takers (Ford and Woodrow, 26). These procedures are good because they are in compliance with the ethical principles of beneficence, justice, and non-malefficiecnce.
Conclusion
Ashley’s static encephalopathy has interfered with her normal life because it has incapacitated her mental development and prevented her from walking and talking. However, the quality of her life can still be improved if reasonable decisions are made to help her. Her parents should apply the CRM method, principles and theories of ethics to ensure that moral decisions are made regarding her. It would make her to overcome her challenges and be able to lead a comfortable life irrespective of her condition.
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Tannsjo, Torbjorn. Taking Life: Three Theories on the Ethics of Killing. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.
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