Ethics Case

It's always a hard decision to make when deciding who is best for a transplant. Given my three patients, I as a doctor, believe all of them should get this heart. Knowing the back ground on each and of my patients believe that Jerry would be the best patient for this transplant. Configuring Lisa's condition may not be able to have a long life with this transplant and although the hospital needs the generous donation that maybe give to us if she receives the transplant. I do not want that to be the cause of making my decision. My choice is based on the life span this transplant heart is going to provide the patient and who will benefit more out of having this heart. Jerry is a family man with three children depending on him. With this transplant Jerry can live another 15 years long enough to meet his grandchildren. I believing I will be giving the most happiness to this family.

I know that in utilitarianism that we should always provide or give the most happiness. I can also argue that choosing Lisa as the candidate would give the most happiness because of the donation given to the hospital can help thousands. But she will not have a long life, Jerry will be able to live longer and through his children (family) they will give/live an order of extreme happiness. I believe Mills would agree in my decision. Mills has spoken "...no system of ethics requires that the sole motive of all we do shall be a feeling of duty; on the contrary, ninety-nine hundredths of all our actions are done from other motives and rightly so...the great majority of good actions are intended for the benefit of the world, but for that of individuals, of which the good of the world is made up.(utilitarianism, csus.edu) What Mill says in that statement helped me to come to the conclusion that Jerry is the world to his family and if that world is diminished how will that world go on. I also believe that Krant in his stance on good will would agree with my decision. The good I am doing by choosing Jerry and the effects that will come by helping Jerry live longer to provide and care for his family. I also believe that Jerry would be the best candidate because Jerry is a man that does good, unlike Ozzy, Jerry did not know the harm he caused his body. Jerry is good and has done well by taking care and loving his family. I do have to admit this was a tough decision and I hope in the end I made the best with what I know of my patients.