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A child is born with a rare and severe medical condition that leads to significant suffering over time

Imagine a scenario where a child is born with a rare and severe medical condition that leads to significant suffering over time. While the child initially appears healthy, the condition causes progressive physical changes and developmental challenges. Despite these challenges, the child remains mentally sharp and emotionally aware.

This condition is life-threatening, with a drastically reduced life expectancy, often cutting short the possibility of reaching adulthood. Treatments exist that might alleviate some symptoms and potentially extend life, but they don't offer a cure and could involve extensive, long-term care.

Parents are faced with a tough choice:

Should they approve a medical procedure that might extend their child's life, knowing it could lead to ongoing and expensive care?
Or should they decide against it, which could result in their child's death?

For this discussion, let's focus on the ethics of the decision rather than on who has the authority to make it.
Respond to one of the following:

Contrast what a virtue ethicist would say according to its core principles of telos, virtue, eudaimonia, and practical wisdom with what a utilitarian would say using its core principles of welfare, impartiality, sum-ranking, and consequences. Do your best to answer whether it is immoral for the parents to withhold surgery. Use appropriate textual evidence to back up your claim. Which of the ethical theories you discussed do you believe provides the best account of what the morally correct action to take is and why? (USLOs 9.1, 9.2, 9.3)
Contrast what a Kantian would say according to its core principles of universalizability, duty, impartiality, and reciprocity with what a utilitarian would say using its core principles of welfare, impartiality, sum ranking, and consequences. Do your best to answer whether it is immoral for the parents to withhold surgery. Use appropriate textual evidence to back up your claim. Which of the ethical theories you discussed do you believe provides the best account of what the morally correct action to take is and why? (USLOs 9.1, 9.2, 9.3)

Sample Answer

Ethical Analysis of End-of-Life Medical Decisions: Virtue Ethics vs. Utilitarianism

The agonizing decision faced by the parents—approving a life-extending but burdensome procedure versus withholding it, leading to the child's death—presents a profound ethical challenge. This analysis contrasts how a Virtue Ethicist and a Utilitarian would approach this scenario, and assesses the morality of withholding the surgery from each perspective.

1. The Virtue Ethicist’s Perspective

Virtue Ethics, rooted in Aristotelian philosophy, focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than the consequences of actions or adherence to rules. The moral worth of the decision is found in whether it expresses or cultivates the virtues relevant to good parenting and human flourishing.

Telos (Purpose/Goal): The ultimate telos of human life is eudaimonia—often translated as human flourishing, living well, or a life well-lived. For the child, the telos is to maximize what flourishing is possible given the condition. For the parents, the telos is to be excellent, virtuous caregivers.

Eudaimonia (Flourishing): A Virtue Ethicist would ask: Which choice best contributes to the flourishing of all involved, especially the child? If the procedure merely prolongs a state of significant suffering, intense dependency, and financial hardship, it may not promote eudaimonia for the child or the family unit. However, if the child, despite physical challenges, is "mentally sharp and emotionally aware," their ability to experience joy, love, and growth (even if abbreviated) must be weighed.

Virtue (Character): The decision must be guided by the virtues of a good parent and a compassionate caregiver, such as courage, compassion, practical wisdom (phronesis), and justice.

Courage is required both to approve difficult, long-term treatment and to choose to let go and manage inevitable loss.

Compassion dictates acting to alleviate suffering. If the treatment’s burden outweighs the benefit of extended life, compassion might argue against the procedure.