Ethics Position
Type: Essay
Subject: introduction to humanities
Subject area: Nursing
Education Level: Undergraduate
Length: 3 pages
Referencing style: APA
Preferred English: US English
Spacing Option: Double
Ethics: Case Study
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
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Ethics: Case Study
Determining If the Man’s Action of Killing the Wife Was Ethical or Not
The old man's action of deciding to kill the wife is unethical and unacceptable. People, especially the caretakers are often faced with difficult situations where choices must be made, but the available options are unideal. That is, they know what could be done, but doing so is illegal, immoral, or socially unacceptable. Therefore, it is unethical to take the right action but is socially, legally, and morally unacceptable. For example, the husband intended to end the wife's suffering in the most appropriate manner. Through death. However, it is morally, socially, and legally wrong to take away people's lives especially without their consent. It leads to ethical issues that could be morally distressing, comprises quality care, or cause chaotic clinical relationships.
The reason why the wife's killing was unethical is that she had not requested to be killed. The case study does not indicate if the wife had requested the husband or daughters to end her long-term suffering in any manner. It would have been ethical if she had requested euthanasia, but it was not the case. According to Pesut et al. (2020), the issue of assisted killing and euthanasia is surrounded by controversies regarding its moral acceptability. Therefore, if euthanasia, which is legally acceptable in countries such as Canada, is still considered as morally unacceptable, then the husband's action of killing the wife is should be considered unethical. The husband's intention was not to end the wife's suffering but to run away from the responsibilities of attending to the wife.
Besides, it is unethical to kill anyone based on the fact that you could not financially support them. Yes, the husband could have been financially burdened due to the high cost of medications. However, it was not enough reason to kill the wife. Different options were at the husband's disposal. He could have requested financial assistance from the daughters or close relatives. Besides, the husband could have reported the matter to the police or other social security agencies when he could get assistance. Life is sacred and cannot be equated to any financial burden. Money could be solicited but life is not.
How the Absolute Ethics Impact My Ability to Analyze the Situation?
The husband's action of killing the wife falls under absolute ethics. The husband remains morally and ethically wrong for killing the wife despite his intended reasons. According to absolute ethics, there is only one moral code that is unchangeable. That is, there is only one right universal code that applies to all people irrespective of their situations or age regarding the right to live. Therefore, absolute ethics greatly impacts how I judge and analyze the situation. Based on absolute ethics, killing is wrong despite the intended reasons. Being in a lot of pain could not justify the husband's action of killing the wife. That is, it is morally wrong and unethical to argue that the husband was right to kill the wife since she was in exacerbating pain due to her long-term illness. It is right to end someone's pain, but not through death. Your suffering does not make your murder right in any manner. Therefore, I would maintain that the killing was unethical since nothing could change the absolute fact that life is God-given and no man should destroy it.
Society’s Perception of the Man’s Action
Society would think about the man's action in two ways. Firstly, society would consider killing as pre-meditated murder. That is, people would think that the man had been planning to murder the wife long before he killed her. Society would support its concern based on the following facts. The first fact is that the killing would have been a premeditated murder because the husband did not engage the daughters or anyone else before killing the wife. It could also be factual that the husband had planned to murder the wife since he did not claim insurance that could have assisted in buying drugs since they had filed for bankruptcy. So, the financial burden was an excuse to murder the wife.
On the contrary, some people would sympathize with the man. Others would even empathize with him. Some individuals would argue that the killing was out of the husband's frustrations. That is, he was living lonely seeing the wife suffer but could not help her. Therefore, he had to find a long-term solution to her suffering. The only available option was killing her.
What I Would Do If Was in The Same Situation
If I was in the husband's situation, I would first seek help from the care providers to learn about the available and affordable treatment options for my lover. As such, it would have become easier to provide for the wife. Nonetheless, if there were no cheaper treatment options, then I would consult the daughters and lover regarding the next step in ending her suffering.
Situation When Pre-Meditated Murder Is Legally, Socially, And Morally Allowed
Pre-meditated murder is allowed when an individual is on death row. Pre-meditated murders are among the most common types of homicides. According to Kuntii, Avramenko, & Navrotskyi (2019), pre-meditated murder demeans human dignity. However, it is socially, legally, and morally acceptable for individuals on death row to commit suicide.
References
Kuntii, A. I., Avramenko, O. V., & Navrotskyi, V. O. (2019). Use of medical knowledge by a specialist in the investigation of premeditated murder committed in a state of strong commotion. Retrieved January 13, 2021, from http://dspace.lvduvs.edu.ua/bitstream/1234567890/3113/1/%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%96%D0%B9-228-233.pdf/
Pesut, B., Greig, M., Thorne, S., Storch, J., Burgess, M., Tishelman, C., ... & Janke, R. (2020). Nursing and euthanasia: A narrative review of the nursing ethics literature. Nursing Ethics, 27(1), 152-167. Retrieved January 13, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0969733019845127/
