Medical Ethics in Television Episodes essays

Medical Ethics in Television Episodes essays Medical ethics is one of the most hotly debated topics within modern ethical and moral discussions because it centers on the debate of the preservation of life. No where else is this more evident than in the surgery field, because ethical considerations and hard decisions have to be made on a daily basis. Greys Anatomy, an Emmy Award winning television show surrounding the drama of a surgical ward in Seattle, Washington attempts to accurately capture the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by surgeons on a daily level. The value conflict that this show attempts to exhibit the most within its episodes is the conflict between catering to patients desires and sticking to established professional protocol. The reason that this value debate is embedded in every episode is because it is a real situation that many surgeons face. Through the actions of Meredith Grey and her associates it is evident that the creators of this show value the welfare of patients over the adherence to professio nal standards and protocol. Patient desires and professional protocol is something that consistently overlaps. This occurs in primarily two categories; in the first scenario patients do not understand the full implications of medical decisions and as a result make personal decisions without fully understanding the circumstances. In the second scenario patients understand the implications of the medical decision, but make personal decisions that are exceptions to the existing protocol. These two scenarios exist in abundance within Greys Anatomy. The most poignant scene where this is evidenced is in the episode McVet is the New George. Dr. Addison faces an ethical dilemma, a pregnant woman who is going through her seventh birth asks her to secretly tie her tubes so that she cannot have anymore children. This woman is part of an extremely religious family in which her husband does not believe in the use of contraceptives...