Blog # 4

For BLOG #4, discuss how technological advances can challenge our ethics. Please read Chapter 8 and also review the associated Powerpoint before responding to this blog. On a personal level, how has the increased use of technology helped or hindered your health care experiences?

·         There are always going to be pros and cons associated with any presented situation. Technological advances have immensely helped our society; however, there are some cons that come along as well in turn challenging our ethics.

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·         For instance, IVF has been a huge technological advancement in the medical world that has helped/given women across the world the ability to have children. The presented case about the postmenopausal woman seeking IVF because she has made the decision to have children at that age has caused many medical professionals to question her desire. It is true that there are greater risks associated with the advance age, however, should anyone judge her simply because she is older than the average female trying to have children?

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·         The case about the 32 year old female carrier for Huntington's disease is another example of how far technology has taken us. The mere fact that technology/science has the ability to perform vitro fertilization and sort out the eggs that do not carry the defective gene is in essence, amazing. Some people question the ethics of this specific procedure because they wonder if it is ethically okay for a mother to have a child even though she knows she may one day have HD. Again, I pose this question, who are we to judge individuals for taking advantage of such offered technologies? I think it is completely up to the individual and their respective family/spouse to make that important decision in life.

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·         On a personal level, the increased use of technology has helped me have a speedier recovery after laparoscopic gallbladder removal. If I would have had the traditional surgery, it would have been an automatic 6 weeks out of work and I simply cannot afford that much time off. I also only have 4 tiny incision scars which will hopefully fade away with the use of vitamin E oil as opposed to one giant scar. The availability of the internet is extremely powerful and I personally struggle with this resource. I wouldn't know what to do without the ability to access the internet and at the same time it gives me grief because I Google every medical symptom I experience.

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·         So in essence, I personally believe the pros associated with technological advancements definitely outweigh the cons and I cannot wait to see how much further we can technologically advance.