Bioethical Analysis Worksheet Scenario
Chang and Fang Yin are a married couple living in China. They have decided to have a child and Fang Yin is at a stage in her pregnancy where the sex of the child can be determined. China is one of the most heavily populated countries in the world, and as a result the “One Child Policy” was put in place by the Chinese government. The policy was to ensure that China, a country that has historically been prone to severe famine and flooding, would be able to feed it’s people. The rapid population growth that occurred after the Communist Party came to power had put a strain on the government’s efforts to help it’s people. So in an attempt to combat the widespread poverty and improve the overall quality of life, the “One Child Policy” was gradually adopted. Chinese families overwhelmingly prefer male children to female children and as a result, female infanticide has increased. Also many people criticize the fact that abortions are often forced on women who are visibly pregnant with their second child. This often includes very late term abortions and there have been reports of mass sterilizations in rural areas as well. Fang Yin is under a lot of pressure from her husband and his family to have a boy to carry on the family name. They have told her that if she finds out the sex of her baby and it is a female, then she should take the proper steps to terminate the pregnancy and the family will even pay the cost of this. Fang Yin doesn’t care what sex the child is, she just wants a healthy baby. The issue is whether or not to determine the sex of the child while in the womb.
Questions:
Context –
What is the bioethical issue or decision at hand ?
Who must make the decision(s) related to this issue?
What factual information is relevant to issue and those making decisions?
Stakeholders –
Who are the stakeholders in this situation?
What values are apparent for each stakeholder involved?
What immediate priorities are apparent for each stakeholder?
Alternatives and Tradeoffs
What, if any, are the alternative courses of action in this situation?
How would each stakeholder be affected by any or all of the alternatives?
Solution
What solution(s) would you propose to resolve this issue?
How would you convince each stakeholder that this is the best choice?
