Joe, Jacinta, Mohammed, and Tiffany are all on the list to receive a kidney dona

Question

Joe, Jacinta, Mohammed, and Tiffany are all on the list to receive a kidney donation. A kidney has just come available that is compatible with each of them. This would be his/her first transplant. None of them are or have been drug or alcohol abusers. Joe is a 25 yr-old fairly healthy successful defense attorney who has been on the list for only three months. Jacinta is a 15 yr-old physically fit honors student who wants to be a doctor. She has been on the list for just a month. Mohammed is a 50 yr-old high school history teacher (loved by his students) in poor health. He has been on the list for a year. Tiffany is a 30 yr-old housewife (with three young children) in fair health. She has been on the list for a year and a half. Use one of the theories listed above to explain and demonstrate the process you (as the person who determines who will get the kidney) use to decide who will receive the kidney. The only rules for getting the kidney are the ones you make. According to your analysis, what would be the morally correct thing to do? Why? (In other words, for whichever theory you choose, explain not only the process but the result of having used that process.)

The theories you may choose from are: Natural Law Theory, Virtue Ethics (list the virtues), Ethics of Prima Facie Duty (list the duties)

Explanation / Answer

The kidney would be provided to Mohammed who is a history teacher and has an ailing health. This decision would be made amidst the basis of The virtue ethics, and the particular form that would be used establishing this decision would be the agent based virtue ethic.

The morally correct thing to do would be providing the kidney to the individual who needs it the most as opposed to those who are not in need of it.

Agent based ethics are in consideration of the dispositional state of the being, in this context that would be the ailing high school teacher, Mohammed.

The virtues are as follows:

Eudaimonist Virtue Ethics

Agent Based Virtue ethics

Exemplarist Viryue Ethics

Target Cenric Virtue Ethics

Platonistic Virtue Ethics

In my humble opinion, Giving the kidney to the housewife would be the ethical thing to do, as it is following the rules and procedures of the list format and time period that are provided. But, this would hamper another life forms well being, and would be morally the wrong thing to do. This would be based on the Ethics of Prima facie duty.  

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse J
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.