Case study Jasmine, a 12- year old Hispanic child has leukemia, and has relapsed
ID: 244289 • Letter: C
Question
Case study Jasmine, a 12- year old Hispanic child has leukemia, and has relapsed in spite of routine chemotherapeutic interventions. This child has experienced side effects of the treatment, including nausea, hair loss, and frequent hospitalizations with infections, and is deteriorating physically. She says she feels as if she is being tortured with all the needles, spinal taps, and bone marrow samples; that she has no friends; that most kids are afraid of her; and that this life is not worth living. A bone marrow transplant (the only hope for a cure at this point) would mean subjecting her to intensive chemotherapy, total body irradiation, and weeks in isolation following the transplant. The family is told that there is a 30 percent chance that the transplant will be effective. The procedure is very expensive, and the family has already had to obtain a second mortgage for their home because their insurance has not covered many of the expenses to date.
Which is the best statement of the ethical dilemma in the above case study?
Should the insurance company be forced to cover the additional cost of the bone marrow transplant?
Should the family's priest be allowed to join in the care conference?
Should a bone marrow transplant be done or not?
Should the healthcare team suggest that Jasmine receive counseling for her depression
Should the insurance company be forced to cover the additional cost of the bone marrow transplant?
Should the family's priest be allowed to join in the care conference?
Should a bone marrow transplant be done or not?
Should the healthcare team suggest that Jasmine receive counseling for her depression
Explanation / Answer
Answer is option C
Should a bone marrow transplant be done or not?
Ethical dilemmas, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there is a choice to be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion.