This ethical study will define the importance of self-determination in the choice of patients and their families in the Wanglie Case Study. The physicians that handled the Wanglie case should have proactively petitioned the patient and family members to inform them of the treatment, and the possible repercussions of the treatment in the hospital. Goldman’s (year?) argument against paternalism defines the importance of a doctor/patient relationship, which should rely more heavily on the self-determination of the patient to receive the treatment and care that they want to pursue. The family members in the Wanglie case had a religious right to keep Helga Wanglie on life support in the hope of a miracle. which is a ethical example of the undue…show more content… Firstly, the physicians did not properly inform Helga and her family about the dangers of the breathing tube treatment. This form of unethical paternalism made a decision that led to the death of Helga, which illustrates the problem of absolute authority of the physician(s) in a medical context. Ethically, the physicians imposed a limited materialism and scientific view of Helga’s life, which resulted in her being placed on life support systems in a vegetative state. Fortunately, Helga’s family realized the impact of this treatment process, which enforced the rights of self-determination to refuse the request to take Helga off of life support. In many cases, physicians may know a variety of treatment options and hold a respect for life, yet these physicians committed grave ethical errors that handled this situation with disrespect and non-compassion. Helga and her family should have been properly informed of the treatment options, yet they were denied this right. However, the family chose to countermand the physician’s decisions by denying physician paternalism as a form of “playing God.” This religious and ethical decision demanded that Helga be given to time on life support in case a miracle occurred in which Helga would return to a conscious state. Self-determination is an important part of the medical treatment process, which should work in tandem with physician treatment options. The Wanglie case was a tragedy because paternalistic physicians made risky decisions that resulted in the death of a patient and the continued suffering of family members after she was put on life support. This is why self-determination is extremely important in the preservation and advocacy of patient rights in the hospital
