Is there a right to life? If so, what is it, who has it, and when do they get or lose it?

Consider the following:

the ethical issues we have discussed in this course, and the philosophical concepts that apply to those issues (natural law, virtue, dignity, utilitarianism, autonomy, beneficence, justice, social contract, rights of animals, informed consent, slippery slope, paternalism, etc.);
the cases that illustrate those issues (related to death and dying, assisted reproduction, stem cells and embryos, research on humans and animals, allocation of scarce resources, involuntary psychiatric commitment, advanced genetic testing, gender ambiguity, etc.)
Write a 5-page essay in which you consider at least one of these ethical issues in the context of one or some combination of the main concepts discussed at the end of the semester—the professionalization of medicine, the medicalization of society, and inequality in contemporary medicine—appealing to relevant cases and philosophical concepts.

As on the take home exams, you must have a thesis, i.e. a defensible position, for which you argue throughout the paper. Here are some suggestions:

1.) The case of Elizabeth Bouvia (or other cases) illustrates the problems with the medicalization of society. In other words, what might be considered a social or existential problem is understood to be a medical problem.

2.) The constitutive inequality in the U.S. medical system is a significant aspect of the case involving Joyce Brown (or other cases we have discussed).

3.) Inequality is inevitable in society. Therefore, so-called “ethical problems” raised about the inequality in the distribution of scarce medical resources (or other problems) are not really problems at all.

4.) Professionalization does not necessarily imply that medical professionals are virtuous. Certain aspects of the history of the achievement of a monopoly on medical treatment by the American Medical Association repeat themselves in notorious cases related to research on human subjects.

5.) Several cases we discussed (e.g. the John/Joan case, cases involving surrogacy or multiple births, etc.) can be understood as examples of what, in The Limits of Medicine, Illich calls “iatrogenesis”, which means “physician-produced” illness.

These are just suggestions. You are free to use these, alter them slightly, or create your own. Just make sure your paper is grounded in a substantive account of the key concepts.

You need to give reasoned arguments for the positions you choose to defend. Arguing in this sense entails giving reasons that other rational people should agree with. Statements like “I feel…”, “I believe…”, etc. are not arguments, because they do not appeal to the rationality of others. *In giving arguments for the position you choose, demonstrate that you understand obvious counter-arguments to the position you defend.

Please do not use the internet (unless that is your means of accessing the primary texts) or any secondary sources, and make sure you follow UHD’s Honesty Policy, mentioned on the course syllabus.

An A-paper will:

present coherent, thorough arguments,
show that the student understands possible counter-arguments to his or her position,
show an excellent grasp of the content of the reading assignments,
demonstrate that the student actively read the material, and has incorporated the lectures and discussion into thoughtful, comprehensive reflection, and
have minimal errors in grammar, wording, etc