Question 5 – Answer
Question 5 - What ethical obligations does Dr. Gomez have to Tanya and her fetus in arriving at a decision regarding providing a premature c-section?

You Chose:
The BEST response to Question 5 is C.

Why is C the best response?
C is the best response because making an ethical decision about prenatal treatment focuses on the balance of risks and benefits among the various treatments. Although Tanya may feel some relief knowing about her infant’s condition now rather than waiting, this benefit is small when compared to the harm that her infant would experience due to an unnecessary premature delivery. Therefore, the choice of whether to provide this procedure is not based on whose interests should prevail, but on assessing the benefit and harm to both.

A is inaccurate because the mother and fetus have equal moral worth. Catholic healthcare witnesses to the sanctity of human life from its earliest beginning. The fact that the fetus is not a legal person is irrelevant in this decision.

B is also inaccurate for the same reason. The mother and fetus have equal moral value. The fact that Tanya is competent to decide for herself does not mean that Dr. Gomez can or should ignore her interests. Dr. Gomez has ethical obligations to both individuals equally and should not favor the interests of one over the other.