Pre-test
Instructions: Check the best ethical response to each question.

1. Operations, treatments, and medications that are provided to a pregnant woman and are known to result in the death of the unborn fetus are:

A.		Never allowed.
B.		Allowed if their direct purpose is the cure of a proportionately serious pathological condition of the woman and cannot be safely postponed until the fetus is viable.es
C.		Allowed only if the fetus is already viable.

 

2. Some actions have two foreseeable effects, one that is good and one that is bad. Is it ever permissible to perform an action that has a bad effect in order to produce the good effect?

A.		Yes, it is permissible if the bad effect is not intended, the good effect outweighs the bad effect and several other conditions are met.
B.		No, it is not permissible if the bad effect is certain to occur.
C.		Yes, it is permissible if the good effect occurs before the bad effect.

   

3. For some seriously ill infants the future outcome of therapeutic interventions is quite uncertain. In such cases is it appropriate to direct the parents to make specific treatment choices regarding their child’s care?

A.		Yes, under such conditions the physician is better suited to be the actual decision maker than are the parents. The parents are informed of the treatment plan, but not asked to consent to it.
B.		Yes, when the future outcome of an intervention is uncertain, the parents should be encouraged to make the treatment decisions that maximally extend the life of the infant.
C.		No, when the outcome is uncertain the role of health professionals is to support the parents in making their own treatment decisions. All treatment options presented must be consistent with ethical principles and the values of Catholic health care.

4. What type of intrauterine experimentation on embryos and fetuses is permitted in the Catholic moral tradition?

A.		No experimentation is permitted.
B.		Therapeutic experiments are permitted for a proportionate reason and with the informed consent of the parents.
C.		Therapeutic and nontherapeutic experiments are permitted for proportionate reasons and with the informed consent of the parents.

  

5. Is the following statement true or false? Parents may decline all treatment for their newborn child.

A.		True. Parents are the healthcare decision-makers for their child and may decline all treatment.
B.		False. Parents are legally and morally required to provide proportionate treatment for their child.
C.		False. Parents are morally but not legally required to provide proportionate treatment for their child.