Case Essay

March 15, 2018

George Washington University

The book sister’s keeper by Jodi Picoult talks about a family that had a child with fragile bones. The mother had learnt to take care of her though it was very tiring whereas the rest of the family was still adjusting. The child had to be held with care so that he does not suffer injuries with his bones. The sister, Anna, was the one who helped her sister with her bone marrow as Kate, the sister, had leukemia and she constantly needed a bone marrow to maintain the disease. It got to a point that Anna felt that she was being misused and as a result she ended up filing a suit against her parents. Comment by Janice LePlatte: Not Fragile Bones: Check the story Comment by Janice LePlatte: Check this

The lawsuit raised various ethical issues that took place during the treatment of Kate and many questions were raised in the court room concerning the way Kate's medical issues were raised. One of the ethical dilemmas is whether the way Anna was conceived based on genetics that was modified is a valid and correct method. The main reason this took place is because Kate did not have a match of her bone marrow for her to survive therefore they required to get a match through a sibling. (Picoult, 2009) The only way this could take place is getting the genes in Kate so that they are sure the new born matches the marrow of Kate. The issue raised with this is whether Anna was born to make Kate’s life better or to live like a normal child. Anna however felt that she was born to make Kate’s life better.

Another ethical dilemma raised in the book is concerning Anna and whether she gave consent to allow her body to be used to save her sister. Anna felt that the procedures were too much which made her uncomfortable and unable to live life like normal children. She felt that she was the surviving factor that makes Kate live accordingly. The issue that is raised in this case is whether what Anna went through would have required her consent. It is quite unfortunate that Anna did not like what was going as she felt that she did not have a social life. Most of the time Anna’s life was based in hospital as her sister fell sick every now and then. She felt that if she was asked for her consent then she would have wanted to live her life like the other thirteen year olds. Comment by Janice LePlatte: Explain further Comment by Janice LePlatte: Explain further. Name the ethical code and provide intext reference

Kate had her kidneys damaged due to the excess medical procedures that she went through. This required Anna to donate her kidney to her sister so that she can survive. However Kate is really sick whereby the surgery will end up becoming a risk to Kate and Anna would have undergone the surgery for no reason. This shows an ethical dilemma whereby Anna undergoes surgery for the sake of her sister who probably will not survive the surgery. The dilemma raised an issue of why Anna would undergo through a surgery which will not make her sister better. This shows a lack of concern on Anna’s life therefore feeling as if she was born to support her sister. Comment by Janice LePlatte: Name the ethical dilemma document with intext reference

Anna and Kate were frequent visitors of hospitals whereby they ended up interacting with the nurses and the doctors as well. This therefore meant that they would be advised by the medical personnel. The nurses are the ones who explained the disease well to the parents so as to make the parents to well understand the situation. (Bonito, n.d.)It is at this time they would have laid down some insights on the effects of forcing Anna to undergo the medical procedures for her sister. Nurses are known to be helpers of patients in hospital to make sure that the patient is comfortable and that the effects of the various procedures are laid down accordingly . Comment by Janice LePlatte: Name the Ethical Code that speaks to this statement .then provide in text reference Comment by Janice LePlatte: Meaning?? Explain further Comment by Janice LePlatte: Meaning ???

There are times that nurses fail to intervene in some situations. The reason could be that they fear going against the doctors words or they do not want to scare the patients and the relatives further. A scenario is whereby the doctors were talking about Kate’s issue and the result is that the mother feels bad as they describe Kate in a poor manner. Sara, Kate’s mother, felt as if the patients were describing her like a machine. The nurses did not explain the terms the doctor was talking about which shows lack of intervention on the nurse’s part. The reason of lack of intervention is unknown but a fact is that Sara felt bad.

Kate underwent a lot of pain whereby she did not have a choice. The nurses tried their best to ensure that she is given the appropriate medication and that she does not end up dying. In this case, the nurse intervened in the well-being of Kate so much and they tried their best to engage her during medication. In the book there is a part whereby we see Kate in pain when she was getting injected though there is nothing much the nurse could do as it was for her own benefit. There was no issue with this as the nurse was doing as per the doctor’s request and it is evident that it was for the benefit of Kate.

When Sara realized that Kate needed a donor and that undergoing a genetically modified pregnancy will make a child who will be a donor then it will result to the child becoming a slave to the other child. Sara did not see it in such a way though the nurses should have intervened when such a decision was being made. They would have offered more advise and make the consequences to be known for both the child and the parent. It is evident that the sole purpose of Anna was to assist Kate to live longer and at least enjoy life. What they did not expect is for Anna to fret after thousands of medical processes and the things she had to do to ensure that the procedures go well. Comment by Janice LePlatte: Explain further

This book explains various ethical dilemmas that take place in a hospital setting and how it affects the family. It is well detailed and the characters express their feelings concerning the issue at hand. Ana felt that she wanted to live and she fought for her rights amicably. The fact that Ana fought for her rights shows boldness and courage considering that she was suing her parents. This book brings about things that people never thought could break a family.

References

Picoult, J (2009), My sister's keeper, New York, NY, Pocket Books

Bonito, S, The role of nurses in disaster management in Asia Pacific