My Sister’s Keeper
A “designer baby,” who was genetically designed, conceived, and born to be a perfect genetic match for her older sister, Kate, who suffers from a rare childhood leukemia. At birth, Anna donates umbilical cord blood to Kate, but as Anna grows up, she donates more blood, marrow, and stem cells to her sister to keep her alive. When Anna is 13, her sister enters renal failure and her parents expect Anna to donate a kidney to her sister. In response, Anna enlists the help of an attorney to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.
- Which family member are you most sympathetic to? Why?
- Imagine you are the mother: while Kate is dying, you discover that Anna refuses to give Kate the last possible life-saving treatment. How would you react?
- How would you try to keep your family together?
- Do you think it is ethical to design and conceive a child that meets specific genetic requirements?
- Do you think the parents went too far in their concern for Kate by making Anna a savior for Kate?
- When is it too far to save one child by using the body of another? By taking umbilical cord blood? Bone marrow transplants? Kidney donation? After Anna has spoken up in opposition to any further use of her body?
Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)
Source – Santa Clara University, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
