RE - Medical Ethics

1. Reason

   Annotations:

   • No money Health of mother at risk Too young Rape 
2. The termination of a pregnancy before the baby is ready to be born.
3. Wrong
   1. Marrying and having a baby is a dharma for every Hindu
   2. Ahimsa
   3. Stops the atman living in the foetus from being reborn in another body
   4. Teaching of many holy books - Vedas
   5. Brings bad karma if a person aborts , giving a worse reincarnation
   6. All life is sacred
4. Right
   1. Not right to bring a child into poverty
   2. Hindus want boys
      1. Can support family
      2. Don't have to pay dowry
      3. Can light the funeral pyre
   3. Only if the baby has severe abnormality s, it is a risk to the mother or if it is a result of rape

1. IVF - test tube baby
   1. No adultery - husband and wife cells
   2. If spare embryos are destroyed it is against ahimsa
2. AIH - artificial insemination by husband
   1. No spare embryos
   2. No adultery
3. AID - artificial insemination by donor
   1. Adultery - bringing third person into relationship
4. Egg or sperm storing
   1. Interfering with nature
5. Right
   1. Dharma to have children
   2. Want to have sons
6. Wrong
   1. Should adopt
   2. Donors might be from the wrong caste

1. Make an artificial copy of.
2. Humans
   1. May be misused to create the perfect race
   2. Could cure genetic diseases
   3. May create illness - against ahimsa - bad karma
3. Plants
   1. May not have atman - cannot reincarnate
   2. Pest resistant food - produce more to help the poor
4. Overall
   1. In favour of science for the betterment of humanity
   2. Started when cloning wasn't around so there aren't many views on it

Annotations:

• Active - Helps patient die (against the law) Voluntary - someone asks Passive - médecine stopped so nothing is done to keep them alive or kill them Involuntary - when someone can't ask e.g if they are in a coma  Double effefct - given pain relief that will shorten their life Palliative care - hospices and support for the dying and their family/friends 

1. Good death.
2. For/Acceptable
   1. Old people stop eating and drinking - renouncing (sannyasin)
   2. Preventing death - against ahimsa
   3. Brain dead - God has already taken the life
   4. Understanding nature of God and eternity of the sol - keys to wisdom
   5. Admired as a sign of great holiness - world is not as important as it appears
3. Against
   1. On par with Brahman - bad karma
   2. Law of Karma - only God can take a life
   3. All life is sacred
   4. Against ahimsa
   5. Laws of Manu - murder is wrong
   6. Suffering is due to bad karma

1. Not acceptable if due to depression and hopelessness
2. Self sacrifice is approved
3. Suttee

   Annotations:

   • Women used to throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyres to show faithfulness and devolution which brings good karma 
   1. Made illegal as families pressured widows into doing it so they wouldn't have to look after them

1. For
   1. Only if essential to human well being
   2. Saves lives
   3. Only for science - not shampoo etc.
2. Against
   1. Against ahimsa
   2. Vahanas were animal transport , so animals are respected (cow)
   3. Animals can't speak - so they can't tell us when they are suffering
   4. Risk bad karma
   5. Can use PC models and cells
   6. Will become hunted in future life
   7. Cannot reply on results as humans are different to animals
   8. Gandhi - vivisection is the blackest of black crimes