CASE STUDY

A friend from high school who you had not seen for 5 years moved into your neighborhood. Although you were close friends in high school, you had lost touch but were very happy to welcome her and her family into the neighborhood. You were pleased because she has children that were the same age as your children. She was also pregnant with her third child. You invite her over to the house so the children can play with each other and catch up. She told you that her eldest child was very ill and required a bone marrow transplant. There were no matching donors on the national list.. She and her husband decided to have a baby that could be used to save her other child. She asked what you thought of her actions. You could not respond because you were unclear of the actual process and ethical ramifications of the situation. Before making any statements that could hurt her friend, 
you decide to do some research on the topic and talk to your husband about it. 

 

For your original post: 

(1) Identify ANY POTENTIAL ethical issues associated with this type of procedure 

(2) Provide an opinion on this situation—Do you think your friend made an ethical decision — why or why not?