PHL 444

True or False: According to the reading [internet encyclopedia of philosophy], all human rights can be reduced to, or are exclusively identified with, legal rights.

False

True or False: Act utilitarians must add up all and only potential increases in happiness/pleasure/utility to determine if an action would be a good one.

False

True or False: All consequentialist theories are versions of utilitarianism.

False

True or False: All deontological theories are rights-based theories.

False

True or False: All human beings are considered to be autonomous.

False

True or False: All rights theorists believe that, of living organisms, only human beings have rights.

False

True or False: According to lecture, religious beliefs and preferences do not influence people's moral decision-making, nor do they tell us anything about people's moral thinking.

False

With which of these statements would James Rachels likely agree? [please choose any or all that apply; there may be more than one correct answer]

-A a physician should, in certain circumstances, be able to stop administering a life-saving drug -Stopping a painful drug treatment that does not seem to be helping to prolong a patient's life may be morally acceptable

According to Sullivan (who gets this from Ramsey), which of the following might classify a treatment as extraordinary ? Choose all that apply.

-A treatment that is too painful or uncomfortable -The treatment is too expensive for the patient -A treatment that doesn't significantly extend the life of the patient -The treatment cannot be replaced with an equally effective, more accessible, alternative

According to the New York Times article we read, which of the following may be potential side effects of the high-dose estrogen given to attenuate growth? [choose all correct answers; there may be more than one]

-Breast bud development in boys -Hypertension (high blood pressure) -Thrombosis (blood clots forming in vessels that may reduce circulation in parts of the body)

According to the consequentialism lecture, which of the following is/are the fundamental feature/s of act utilitarianism? [choose all correct answers; there may be more than one]

-Democratic -Universal -Total

Which of the following are types of "should" questions that are discussed in lecture? [please choose all that apply; there may be more than one correct answer]

-Etiquette (manners) questions -Ethics questions -Practical questions

Choose the reason/s that extensions and make-up assignments will be provided. [PICK ALL CORRECT ANSWERS; more than one may apply]

-Family emergency -Medical emergency -Military service

According to the Human Genome Research Institute, which of the following may contribute to the risk of disease/illness? Please choose all that apply.

-Genetics -Environmental exposures -Heredity -Diet

While many people think that there are such a thing as rights, there is a great deal of debate about where rights "come from." Which of the following are possible sources of rights that we've read about? Choose all that apply.

-God-given -Derived from human laws -Something inherent in being a human being -Something created by social agreement

Imagine a case in which a patient, Alex, refuses medications which would delay his death from cancer. Let's say that the physician agrees to do as Alex requests and doesn't prescribe these medications. Which of the following is or are accurate representation/s of Sullivan's response/s to this situation? (choose any and all that apply; there may be more than one answer)

-If Alex is refusing the medication so as to hasten his own death, Sullivan would say that Alex is morally wrong to do so. -Let's say the physician has agreed to withhold medications on Alex's request because she, the physician, believes Alex will die more quickly that way and thus suffer less. While Rachels would think the physician is doing the ethically correct thing, Sullivan would think that she's not behaving ethically.

According to lecture, which of the following have made death and dying decisions more complex in the 20th and 21st centuries than they were before? [choose all that apply; there may be more than one answer]

-In some cases, technology has extended the dying process -We have more biological and medical knowledge than we did before

Which of the following are potential problems with act utilitarianism? [please choose all that apply; there may be more than one correct answer]

-It is difficult to quantify happiness -Values other than happiness/pleasure (such as dignity, freedom, beauty) may be ignored -Someone who isn't good at predicting consequences may get away with actions that someone who is a good predictor cannot (the stupidity problem) -Happiness is hard to define

According to lecture which of the following might be the source of rights? Please choose ALL that apply.

-Laws created by humans or by human society -Something inherent in human beings (something about the fact of being human confers rights) -A deity or deities -Social structures (non-political, non-legal ones)

Which of the following is/are potential critiques of Rachels' views on euthanasia? [please choose all that apply; there may be more than one answer]

-Life may have an inherent value, independent of whether that life includes suffering and pain. -There may not be agreement on how much weight to place on some consequences of an act of euthanasia (e.g. it may be the case that rather than assuming it's 50% possible that a family might be unhappy if a family member is euthanized, it may turn out that in fact families are always unhappy about it) -His view may allow for euthanizing people who do not want to be killed or would prefer to live in pain -Rachels may have mischaracterized the AMA's position

Please categorize each situation on the left into a type of euthanasia (from the drop down on the right). You should see the list of situations on the left side of the screen. Please select the category that's the best match from the dropdown menu on the right (there may be more than one match -- pick the one that is the most accurate). Multiple rows may have the same answer, and some of the answers may not match any of the situations. A terminally ill patient in Oregon has run out of treatment options. He has very few weeks left to live. He requests that his physician prescribe medications that will stop his breathing and assist him in ending his life when the pain is unbearable. He also requests that his spouse be present to assure his comfort during the dying process. A woman suffers from severe episodic psychosis (periodically has times of "hearing and seeing things" (auditory and visual hallucinations). These episodes do not seem to be improved by medications -- she doesn't have fewer of them, nor does medication make them less severe. During one of her lucid periods (times when she's rational, not hallucinating, and able to function well), she writes a letter asking that she not be put on life support should she have a life-threatening illness. She subsequently has a myocardial infarction (heart attack) that leaves her with no brain function except for limited brain stem function) with little hope of long-term recovery because her heart has been so badly damaged. The staff and her family review her letter and decide jointly to not place her on life support. A carpenter is in the later stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; sometimes known as Lou Gherig's disease). Her spouse, who works as a children's book editor, has a standing barbiturate prescription for the treatment of her hand tremor (she has a neurological condition that makes her hands tremble most of the time, which makes editing difficult). The carpenter asks her spouse to stash away enough barbiturate to be fatal. The carpenter wishes to take it when the ALS has progressed to the point of leaving her wheelchair bound; she will need help taking it at that point, so her spouse may have to hold the pills and help her drink water to wash them down. Her spouse does, and the carpenter takes the overdose, dying peacefully at home. A young basketball player collapses on the court during a big game, the result of a previously undiagnosed blood vessel defect. By the time the ambulance has rushed the player to the hospital many miles away, irreversible brain damage has occurred. The player's mother says, "I know he'd never want to live like a vegetable. He's always been so active; this isn't a life for him. He'd rather be with God, I know it." In view of the significant brain damage and likely multi-organ failure, the health care team and the parent decide to stop life support. The player dies two hours later in the hospital.

-Physician-assisted, voluntary, active euthanasia -Physician-assisted, voluntary, passive euthanasia -Active, voluntary, assisted suicide (non-healthcare worker assistance) -Physician-assisted, nonvoluntary, passive euthanasia

With which of these statements would Thomas Sullivan likely agree? [please choose any or all that apply; there may be more than one answer]

-Smothering a terminally ill patient to prevent prolonged suffering is always unethical -Stopping a painful drug treatment that does not seem to be helping to prolong a patient's life may be morally acceptable

Imagine that Teddy has a brain tumor that cannot be cured. The tumor causes nausea and vomiting, and has already caused Teddy to have one seizure. Teddy is not experiencing any loss of cognitive function. Given the size and growth rate of the tumor, Teddy is not expected to live more than six months. The use of a particular type of radiotherapy can shrink the tumor, which will reduce the symptoms the tumor is causing. For this particular tumor, this is the only option available to control the symptoms mentioned above. This therapy will probably extend Teddy's lifespan by a few months, but no more. The therapy will also require that Teddy stay within reach of the treatment center for two months during the treatment, and it may cause some discomfort. Which of the following is/are statements applicable to Teddy's situation? Choose all that apply.

-Teddy tells a cousin that he has decided against treatment because his earlier death will relieve his and his family's suffering, as well as leave more resources for patients who might benefit more from them, Teddy is using something that looks more like utilitarian thinking than like rights-based thinking. -If Teddy chooses to forego the radiotherapy and his treatment team supports this decision, their support is in line with the Principle of Autonomy. -If Teddy chooses to forego the treatment because of the side effects and the healthcare team supports this decision, their support is in line with the Principle of Non-Maleficence.

Which of the following does Sullivan think are potential criteria for judging a treatment to be considered extraordinary? (Please choose ALL that apply; there may be more than one answer)

-The treatment is burdensomely expensive -The treatment provides minimal or no benefit for the patient's condition

True or False: According to physician interviewed for the video/transcript about Sara Altschule you were provided, genetic testing results are self-explanatory and can be acted on immediately.

False

Imagine your friend Marley is writing a document criticizing the federal government. Marley states the belief that, not only should the government not prevent publication of the document, but that it's the federal government's duty to provide a platform to publish what he calls" important and legitimate critiques of current governmental processes." This suggests that Marley believes that the right to a free press is...[pick the one best answer]

A claim right

When Rachels talks about the pain and suffering of someone dying of throat cancer, he is making which of the following types of ethical argument? [choose the one best answer]

A consequentialist argument

True or False: Given what you learned in lecture, which would you infer is the most potentially problematic type of PAD ethically (physician-assisted death) is which of the following, because of the possibility of it being in fact murder (unjustified killing)? [choose only one answer]

Active involuntary euthanasia

From the NYT article on GAT: "parents who back growth attenuation tend to believe that maximizing pleasurable experiences and minimizing unpleasant ones is the best way to serve a child with extreme disabilities." Which best describes the type of ethical approach these parents are engaged in? [choose one best answer]

Consequentialist

From the New York Times article on GAT: "...parents who back growth attenuation tend to believe that maximizing pleasurable experiences and minimizing unpleasant ones is the best way to serve a child with extreme disabilities." Which best describes the type of ethical approach these parents are engaged in? [choose the one best answer--some may be "okay" but pick the one that's most accurate]

Consequentialist thinking

The following choices pair an ethical theory type with a method of approaching ethical problems. Which of the pairings incorrectly matches a theory type with an approach? [choose only one answer]

Deontological theory: looking at the results or potential results of an action

EXTRA CREDIT Canvas says this question is worth zero points. However, if you answer it correctly, I will give you 1 point of extra credit (this is one of those weird Canvas problems that we have to work around). This can't hurt your grade so give it a try. True or False: According to virtue theory, a good person is one with purity of motives and thought.

False

I'm going to give you some information that you should take as accurate/correct. I'm then going ask you to assess statement based on that information as true or false. Information: "Brain death is defined as the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem. The three essential findings [i.e. three things that are a result of the irreversible loss of brain function] in brain death are coma, absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnea [not breathing]" Question:True or False: At the end of her article, Dr. Zitter describes the deaths of three different "Code Death" patients. Given what happens to each after removal of life-support, all three patients were probably brain dead (by definition above) prior to removal of life-support.

False

Please take this statement a given and true : ethically, murder is defined as unjustified killing of one person by another person or persons (this is how we legally distinguish murder from self-defense or justifiable homicide). Now, given the statement above, decide whether the following statement is True or False: all killing (taking of any life) is, ethically speaking, murder. [yes, this question should be familiar - a lot of people missed it last time]

False

Sullivan thinks that Rachels' distinction between intended and unintended consequences is not morally relevant and covers up the important moral distinction between good and bad consequences.

False

True or False: A living will is the same thing as a last will and testament.

False

True or False: According to Rachels, kids like Ashley (growth attenuation is sometimes called "the Ashley treatment" after this child) should all be euthanized, given his thoughts about the child with Down syndrome.

False

True or False: According to lecture, egoism requires people to be "selfish" -- that is, self-regarding to the point of not considering other peoples' happiness in any way.

False

True or False: According to lecture, ethical relativism is not a workable way of approaching morality.

False

True or False: Consequentialists consider feelings/emotions of the person who is considering an action but not of people who might be affected by that action.

False

True or False: Given the argument James Rachels presents regarding the patient with throat cancer, one can predict that he would argue that in all cases of terminally ill patients, voluntary active euthanasia is more ethical than voluntary passive euthanasia.

False

True or False: Giving a terminally ill patient a lethal injection to end their suffering is always voluntary euthanasia.

False

True or False: Growth Attenuation Therapy is a hormonal treatment with no side effects -- it merely results in a child's reduction of final adult size.

False

True or False: Growth Attenuation Therapy is used to help kids who might not reach a typical height (who will be "too short" as adults) to grow taller, to a more typical or acceptable height.

False

True or False: If a patient on life support is unconscious and has left no directions or requests about removing or staying on life support, removing life support thus ending the patient's life to relieve discomfort would be considered involuntary euthanasia.

False

True or False: If you are unconscious or otherwise unable to speak for yourself, the only way to make your medical wishes known is to sign or not sign an organ donation authorization.

False

True or False: If you test positive for an inherited genetic disease, it means that you will inevitably develop that disease.

False

True or False: Kantians identify rights to determine how to act ethically.

False

True or False: Laws always tell us what's the ethically correct thing to do.

False

True or False: Most people agree that every instance of killing is, and should be called, "murder."

False

True or False: Newborn genetic testing is the same (i.e. the same person receives the test, and the test provides the same information and should be used in the same way) as Carrier genetic testing.

False

True or False: Non-voluntary euthanasia (or physician-assisted suicide) is the same as involuntary euthanasia (or physician-assisted suicide).

False

True or False: Normative ethics is the field of study of guys named Norman.

False

True or False: Rachels thinks active euthanasia is always better than passive euthanasia, not just in the case of an infant with Down syndrome.

False

True or False: Sullivan would believe that Smith and Jones are assisting with either active or passive euthanasia (depending on which of them you're talking about), and that therefore they are both behaving unethically.

False

True or False: Sullivan would think that intentionally causing a patient's death through an act of omission (e.g. withholding CPR) is morally acceptable.

False

True or False: Sullivan's view of the ethics of euthanasia is largely act utilitarian.

False

True or False: The Principle of Beneficence doesn't apply to young children and severely mentally disabled adults.

False

True or False: The doctrine of double effect says that you're responsible for consequences of your actions that you knew might occur but did not intend.

False

True or False: The results of private genetic testing have no implications for anyone other than the person who has been tested.

False

True or False: Virtue-based ethics look at whether an action is the action of a virtuous person, where "virtuous" is defined by the local religion.

False

True or False: We do not discuss religious ethics in this course because professors never believe in or practice a religion.

False

Using the definition of "euthanasia" that was used in lecture, answer the following. True or False: In the Smith and Jones argument, both Smith and Jones are committing euthanasia.

False

Which of the following is a problem with Sullivan's argument? [choose the one best answer]

His use of the distinction between extraordinary vs. ordinary treatment makes it easy to introduce our personal biases into what counts as "ordinary" treatment vs. what counts as "extraordinary" treatment.

Each of the answers below consists of a pair including a position about an issue we've read about and a right which is invoked by some people holding that position. The format of each of these pairs is Position : Relevant Right Which of the following positions and rights are paired incorrectly? [Please choose the one best answer]

Involuntary active euthanasia is ethical : right to choose/autonomous choice

Which of the following is the best example of someone using rule utilitarian ethical thinking?

Jules decides to follow the rule against creating a second Twitter account using a fake name, because if lots of people broke that rule, it would be hard for Twitter to track down people using Twitter to commit crimes or plan terrorist activities.

Fill in the blank: Sullivan thinks that the intentional taking of human life is always ethically wrong and that we have a duty to avoid killing humans. Another way that Sullivan could express this is to say that human beings have a right to [fill in the blank with one word]. NOTE: I will need to regrade this question by hand since there may be an answer that you provide which is correct but isn't one of the options I have on Canvas.

Live

Which of the following is true of Rachels' position on euthanasia? [please choose the one best answer]

Rachels' suggests that in some medical situations active euthanasia is more moral than passive euthanasia

Imagine Phoenix took a cell sample from her friend Charlie without his knowledge and sent it to a genetic testing lab to check for risk of several diseases. Charlie has, in the past, refused to consider genetic testing, despite his ongoing concerns that he may have inherited health conditions from their parents. Phoenix intends this as a kind gesture and will give Phoenix the results as soon as they're available, so that Charlie can stop worrying about his health or, if there's high risk of a given disease, can look into solutions early. Which of the following is the most likely response of a Kantian to Phoenix's action? [choose the one best answer]

Phoenix's actions are unethical, since Charlie own values and desires for the way he wants to live his life are being overridden.

Choose one of the following answers to fill in the blank: In the video/transcript case you were provided, Sara Altschule received her genetic test prior to having any symptoms of breast cancer (or any other disease); this would be considered [choose the correct answer for this blank] testing. Choose only the single best answer.

Presymptomatic/predictive

Which of the following provides the correct due dates for readings, assignments, quizzes, etc for this course, and will warn you of them well in advance? [please choose the one correct answer]

The PDF/MSW syllabus

This is an EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION. While it says, "0 points," you can receive up to two points of extra credit for answering this question well. It cannot hurt your grade to try answering the question; it can only help you. Question: Rachels gives an example of a patient dying of throat cancer and says that he thinks active euthanasia would be morally preferable to letting that patient die. Which one of the four bioethical principles would support Rachels' position? In one sentence, support your choice. (I will not read more than the name of the principle and one sentence.So your answer should be less than 2 complete sentences).

The Principle of Non-maleficence states that physicians/healthcare workers should make decisions that are most beneficial to the patient, active euthanasia can be more beneficial to the patient because it reduces the amount of time the patient is living in prolonged suffering.

Which if the following is not a reason that someone might choose health care worker-assisted euthanasia over ending their own lives without assistance? Note: This question assumes that healthcare worker-assisted euthanasia includes both passive and active euthanasia. [choose the one best answer]

The person may not live in a state in which health care worker-assisted euthanasia is allowed.

Which of the following points is NOT made in the Hastings Center paper? [choose only one answer]

The reasons for parental interest in GA should not be considered in what's essentially a medical decision

True or False: One could argue that the right to medical care is a negative (liberty) right or a positive (claim) right.

True

A negative right [also known as a liberty right] corresponds to a duty to not stop the person who has the right from trying to obtain that right. For example, if Angel has a negative right to have a cookie, Pat's duty is to refrain from stopping Angel from trying to get a cookie.

True

From the NYT article on GAT: "Parents who object to curbing growth prioritize their child's pleasure and comfort but never at the cost of...concerns like bodily integrity and self-determination." (emphasis added). Which of the following most accurately represents the view of these parents? True or False: In determining how they should act, these parents place deontological values either as important as or as more important than increased pleasure.

True

Note:THIS IS AN EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION. While it says "0" points, you get a1 point for trying and 2 points for getting it right. Take this as a given: Kant thinks lying is wrong True or False, given the above: Kant might think lying is wrong because the liar is acting on the maxim that language doesn't have any fixed meaning. But we know logically that language has to have meaning, or we wouldn't be able to understand one another even if we used a shared language.

True

Some critics of growth attenuation argue that GAT is ethically problematic because it's a drastic and invasive solution to a simple, easily resolvable problem: they believe it's because there's a lack of access to equipment and support to help parents/families of severely disabled adult children. Many parents have trouble accessing or affording these supports. The critics of GAT say that such equipment and supports ought, by right, be made available to such families parents, regardless of socio-economic status. True or False: These critics of GAT are suggesting that treating the access to equipment and support for families of severely disabled persons as a liberty right is inadequate. These families, they believe, have a positive right (a claim right) to equipment and support that is being ignored.

True

True or False: An ethical theory is one which provides an argument or arguments (logical justifications) for a particular way of approaching moral dilemmas.

True

True or False: Generally speaking, in the Hastings Center paper, one concern mentioned about the current growth attenuation debate is that the procedure is being considered only for a small group of individuals (those with profound developmental disabilities), and that this might be discriminatory. After this problem is noted, the article gives reasons to not take this as a significant concern.

True

True or False: If a patient has requested HCW-assisted suicide, that would generally be considered voluntary euthanasia, rather than involuntary or non-voluntary euthanasia.

True

True or False: In James Rachels' article "Active and passive euthanasia, " the Smith/Jones example illustrates the point that there's no inherent ethical difference between an act of commission (something you've actively done) and an act of omission (something you haven't done) if the intended result of either the act of commission or act of omission is the same.

True

True or False: It's reasonable to think that, in Sullivan's view, surgery for the infant mentioned by Rachels (the infant has an intestinal tract defect and Down syndrome) would be considered ordinary treatment.

True

True or False: Kantianism is a type of deontological theory.

True

True or False: One potential criticism of the doctrine of double effect is that it might let people who are naive, illogical, or unable to understand the possibility of distant or future consequences get away with killing people in circumstances in which it seems pretty obvious that one ought to know that harm will result from their actions.

True

True or False: One reason that parents may wish their child to undergo growth attenuation therapy is to make it easier to physically maneuver their offspring (e.g. move them in and out of bed or into/out of a wheelchair).

True

True or False: Religion can tell us about what people's moral beliefs are or explain why someone chose to act in a certain way when faced with a moral dilemma.

True

True or False: Removing a patient from life support machinery and medications might be an act of involuntary euthanasia.

True

True or False: Removing a patient from life support to prevent/reduce suffering could be considered an act of active euthanasia.

True

True or False: Rule Utilitarianism provides a way to avoid the scapegoating problem with act utilitarianism.

True

True or False: Sickle Cell Anemia is a condition that's the result of a change (mutation) in a single gene.

True

True or False: Some natural rights theorists believe that rights are conferred by God (some deity or deities).

True

True or False: Some should questions that seem to be practical in nature may instead actually be questions of etiquette (manners).

True

True or False: The Human Genome Project compares genes to a genetic profile, the sequence of which is not that of a single person a composite derived from multiple individuals.

True

True or False: The doctrine of double effect says that if a person's action has an effect that was NOT intended, the person shouldn't be considered to be responsible for that effect.

True

True or False: The final decisions reached by the Hastings Center Working Group on GAT were considered to be a compromise between different positions rather than an unanimous decision that all applications of GAT are moral or immoral.

True

True or False: This course might be graded on a curve, according to the syllabus.

True

True or False: Utilitarianism is a type of consequentialist ethical theory.

True

We watched a video in which a woman decides to have a preventative double mastectomy after receiving genetic testing results that suggested that she was at high risk for cancer. The surgeon who performed the surgery did so at the request of the patient, to prevent the possibility of breast cancer. True or False: The doctor followed at least two principles, the Principle of Non-Maleficence and the Principle of Autonomy.

True

In the FAQ about Genetic Testing reading, the list of benefits and drawbacks provided would be most useful in which of the following ethical analyses? Choose only one best answer.

Utilitarian analyses