When Doctors are Helpless: Emergent Ethical Issues

Abstract

The paper attempts to bring to light some of the ethical issues that emerge when a terminal illness is diagnosed. In most of the cases there is no “correct” stance. The medical professionals are under oath to save the patient. Ethically they should not let the non-professionals take over. However, they do compromise to respect the wishes of the interested parties. Limited resources do not permit unlimited spending on cases where chances of recovery are nil. In cases of private funding, medical ethics prohibit the medic from experimenting with the patient’s life. This is a philosophic treatment of the issue to analyze the situations. 

Key words: terminal illness, funding, Hippocratic oath, death, morality.