Dax's biography - Research Paper Example

?Running head: Dax’s case Exercise 6: Dax’s case Exercise 6: Dax A. Dax's mother - Ada Cowart His mother Ada Cowart did not believe that Donald (Dax) was really in his right mind and thinking in wanting to die. She did not want to lose her son also and so she followed the advice of the medical doctors and granted consent to said treatments. She believed that the treatments were going well even if her son did not believe these treatments to be effective (Burns, 2005). More importantly, Ada believed that God wanted her son to live and to fulfill his responsibilities to Him. And she clung to the belief that if God really wanted his son to die then he would have let him die. In the meantime, all efforts to keep him alive must be done, even if these methods were against Dax’s will and even if these methods caused him considerable pain and suffering (Burns, 2005). In understanding Ada’s position, the normative ethics is the most appropriate theory which can be used. Normative ethics “is devoted to identifying the conditions under which actions are morally right, or motives and intentions are morally good” (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007, p. 1). It is concerned with a person’s actions being morally right and good. In the case of Ada, she believed that it was morally right and proper to keep Dax alive for him to fulfill his duties to God. Normative ethics is focused on identifying the conditions where actions are deemed right, and motives are deemed wrong (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007). In this case, Ada’s actions are deemed right because they are focused on God’s will and on saving a person’s life; and Dax’s insistence on giving up his life is deemed wrong because they violate God’s will and are focused on robbing a person of his life. Ada’s actions are therefore – based on her point of view – morally right and protected by God. B. Dax's lawyer - Rex Houston Cowart’s friend and attorney, Rex Houston became his decision-maker when he became physically incapacitated. Houston wanted to keep Dax alive because of the lawsuit filed he filed against the oil company; and there was no financial benefits for Dax if he died (Burns, 2005). Houston was able to gain financial benefits from the oil company and these proceeds were used to pay for Dax’s medical and legal responsibilities. The teleological theory can be used in order to justify Houston’s actions. Teleological is derived from the Greek word “telos” which means “ends” (Wittjen, 2003). This theory considers, more than anything else, the end goals of certain actions, or in some instances, the consequences of one’s actions. For Houston, his actions can be supported by this theory in the sense that his actions support the ends he wanted to achieve. He wanted to keep Dax alive because Dax would stand to gain in the end. The ends he wanted to seek, therefore justifies his actions of wanting to keep Dax alive. C. Dr. Charles Baxter Dr. Baxter believed initially that Dax’s request to die was due to his feelings of severe pain and shock. He believed that Dax lacked the mental capacity to make the right decision about his care. In considering the entire situation, Dr. Baxter believed that Dax’s actions were just related to his attempts to control his environment and therefore it was his job to provide medical care to the best of his duty (Burns, 2005). Dr. Baxter’s actions can be supported by the deontological theory. Deontology is based on the word “deonto” which means “duty” in Greek (Wittjen, 2003). This theory is based on a person’s duties and responsibilities and how people should act based on such duties and responsibilities. In this case, actions are based on these duties and these duties shall guide and designate whether or not a person is acting based on such duties (Wittjen, 2003). In the case of Dr. Baxter, his actions are based on his duties and responsibilities. His duty and responsibility is to provide medical care to Dax because he believed that Dax was not thinking logically. He felt that his duty was superior to Dax’s wishes and that he should carry out his duties and responsibilities despite Dax’s protests. Warner Ethical Conduct Paradigm There are five filters in Warner’s Ethical Conduct Paradigm which may explain why he wanted to die instead of to be treated. The first filter is the values and beliefs which were defined by Warner as “a group of principles, standards, tenets, or dogma considered inherently worthwhile, acceptable of desirable” (1988, p. 5). They may be derived from folkways, custom and traditions, social norms, law, and religion. In the case of Dax, his principles can be supported by his firm belief on a patient’s right to die – his right to self-determination. The right to self-determination is an ethical principle and it is very much apparent that Dax wanted to exercise this right and to have this right be respected. The sources of one’s values and beliefs may sometimes come in conflict with each other. For example, one’s customs and traditions may come in conflict with the social norms. In the case of Dax, his beliefs about his right to die do not come in conflict with his personal values and beliefs, however, they come in conflict with the values and beliefs of other people – those people which have controlled his medical care. Another filter which has influenced Dax in wanting to exercise his right to die is his wants and needs. Needs are those which man believes are essential to his well-being and wants are those which he feels he must have but would not sacrifice his values and beliefs for to obtain (Warner, 1988). For Dax, he believes that he needs to die – he does not just want it, but he needs it. His needs are very much tied in with the pain and his burnt condition which are causing him much suffering. He therefore believes that his needs are essential to his being and must be honored and respected by the doctors. Another filter is relationship. Relationships are the emotional links which a person has with other people. It can actually take on extreme emotions, like that of love or hate (Warner, 1988). This relationship may be based on intimacy and on physiological and psychological compatibilities (Warner, 1988). In the case of Dax, his relationship with his relatives is a bit detached – lacking inner and deeper connections which would have wanted him to live. Although he was able to develop relationships after he was burnt, such a relationship was not apparent at the time he was insisting on his right to die. His philosophical compatibility with his mother is not actually shared. Where his mother wanted him to live and to respect the will of God, he wanted to go against divine will in wanting to die. He did not see any apparent need to respect God’s wishes, for which reason, he fought for his right to die. In terms of group relationships, it was apparent that he did not have a large group of friends to share group ideals with. He actually felt no need to conform to group standards, hence his insistence on his right to die. A group of friends would have lent him emotional and moral support, with the end goal of persuading him to “conform” to the norms or standards, in this case, that of wanting to live. Intelligence is the next filter under Warner’s paradigm. Intelligence refers to the “capacity to acquire and apply knowledge – the faculty of thought and reason” (Warner, 1988, p. 17). It is composed of three factors – knowledge, experience, and perception. In Dax’s case, his knowledge about his case is that he is already in a dire medical state and that he would continue to live that way until he dies. He however lacks the experience to deal with such knowledge. He does not know what other people know about his case. He lacks the experience to determine that other people may live through such burns with proper medical attention. His perception of the matter is not based on human behavior and on problem solving. It is based on his firm perception that he is in great pain and is undergoing much suffering and must be relieved from such travails. The last filter under Warner’s paradigm is discipline. This refers to “self-control or self-determination derived through a combination of experiences, knowledge, and emotional sets” (Warner, 1988, p. 19). In evaluating Dax’s ‘discipline,’ it may be established that his discipline is based on his focused belief on his right to die. Based on his discipline and self-control, he needs to insist on his right to die because it is his inherent right – one which must be upheld over and above his doctor’s, his lawyer’s, or his mother’s feelings. To his mind, these people lack the discipline to carry out the right decision about his care. The right decision would have been to respect a patient’s request and right to die; however, Dax believes that these people in his life are basing their decision on what they were conditioned to think. He believes that not everyone would choose to live when placed in unhealthy situations. Although most people would be conditioned to think that everything must be done to save a patient’s life; the opposite must also be considered and respected, especially when it is requested by the patient. In evaluating Dax’s decision, it may however be also pointed out that he is being ruled by his emotions of pain and suffering – emotions which he wants very much to get away from. In this case, he may be the one lacking the discipline – the one who cannot seem to control his emotions enough to come up with a logical and disciplined decision. Based on the above paradigm, it is now easier to dissect and make a thorough assessment and arrive at an academic understanding of Dax’s decisions regarding his care. Works Cited Burns, K. (2005). Analysis of the Dax Case Conflict. Retrieved 11 May 2011 from http://karinburns.com/images/documents/Right%20to%20Die.pdf Shafer-Landau, R. & Cuneo, T. (2007). Foundations of ethics: an anthology. Michigan: Wiley- Blackwell Warner, D. (1988). The Basis for Ethical Conduct: An Introduction to The Ethical Conduct Paradigm. Michigan: Wiley-Blackwell Wittjen, S. (2003). Ethical Decision-Making in Physical Therapy: Teleological Theory. Texas Physical Therapy Association. Retrieved 11 May 2011 from http://apps.tpta.org/courses/Ethics03/teleological_theory.htm Wittjen, S. (2003). Ethical Decision-Making in Physical Therapy: Deontological Theory. Texas Physical Therapy Association. Retrieved 11 May 2011 from http://apps.tpta.org/courses/Ethics03/deontological_theory.htm Read More