Siamese Twins
The separation of the Maltese conjoint twins, Mary and Jodie, is a complex moral issue to which there was no direct answer that can be found. The question is how do you decide what is moral? Can it possibly be right to separate Jodie from sister Mary when we know that if this happens Mary must inevitably die? And how do we balance the rights of Jodie against the rights of Mary? Do we purely look at the basis of strength and survival? The parents refused to give consent for their daughters to be separated and believed as Catholics that it was the duty of God, not doctors to determine the length of their children's lives. The Hippocratic Oath is a vow made by doctors where responsibility is undertaken to strive in curing all patients to their full ability. Although not always successful, in the case of the separation of the Siamese Twins, this was thought to be the best course of action having the professional knowledge to suggest and consider the most probable outcomes. Really there is no absolute moral judgment that can be made at all. The moral choice made is perhaps usually measured by believing that more pleasure for more people as a consequence of the action is the correct option to select, and having one twin survive for t
When faced by unusual deformities there is always a tendency to take on a 'freak-show' mentality. Death is a gateway into a renewed creation. 'To allow a baby to die in dignity, pain-free and at peace in her mother's arms, can be as much a triumph of modern medical technology as the most heroic surgery' states Nicholas Cauchi, the Bishop of the Maltese Island of Gozo where the twins' parents live. The Church suggested that the doctors who wanted to separate the two babies would be murderers. Therefore, using this similarity, the separation should be carried out to save the stronger twin. This theory points out that in nature the weaker animals die out, are killed and eaten. The force of law to oppose parents' wishes should only be used in extreme circumstances, when it is absolutely clear that parents are not acting in their children's best wishes. What was once the concern of two parents became the interest of others who in the end were the ones who decided on the fate of the babies. We must always remember that we are talking about human beings, made out of the same flesh and blood as everyone else, even if their problems and defects are more obvious and unusual. If they are sufficiently weak sometimes whole species become extinct. With the separation, many may see the case as closed, heated philosophical debates finished and complex legal argumentation solved yet the long-term consequences for Jodie and her family, made by the decision, I believe will remain forever. Christians do not see death as the supreme tragedy and therefore the end. They had their parental rights lessened and authorities deciding the handling of their children which I believe was particularly wrong and disrespectful. If both of these children were born and they did not have enough hospital beds they would give the bed to the stronger of the two and do what they could for the other child. However intentionally cutting Mary's aorta for the saviour of Jodie, in affect ending Mary's life at once, cannot be helped but thought of as means of killing.
Common topics in this essay:
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Catholic Church,
Island Gozo,
Siamese Twins,
Mary Jodie,
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Hippocratic Oath,
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Acceptance Essays
