Deck 13: Conflicts of Rights at Lifes Beginning

Question 1

In the Zimmerman case, the moral issue at stake involved

A) A maternal refusal of medically indicated treatment
B) A maternal life-style causing fetal harm
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Answer 1

B

Question 2

On the basis of Chapter 13, which moral duties of health care providers come into conflict when a pregnant woman knowingly causes fetal harm?

A) Patient autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which role does the Disincentive Problem play in the moral debate over the right thing to do in cases of fetal abuse? It is invoked to argue

A) That restraining pregnant women from substance abuse would have bad consequences
B) That there is duty to honor pregnant women's autonomous choices about life-style and medical treatment
C) That the risks of fetal harm outweigh the benefits of respecting the autonomy of pregnant women who are substance users
D) None of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In which of the following countries is the so-called partial-birth abortion unlawful?

A) In the US
B) In the UK
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Question 5

Regarding conscientious objection to abortion and contraception, which of the following options are open to health care providers?

A) Conscience absolutism
B) Conscience universalism
C) Conscience skepticism
D) Any of the above

Question 6

A main objection to the Hyde Amendment is that

A) It discriminates against indigent women
B) It prevents using taxpayers' money for abortion
C) It enables women from underrepresented groups to have abortions
D) All of the above

Question 7

In Gonzalez v Carhart, the plaintiffs alleged that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003

A) Amounted to an unconstitutional violation of women's right to abortion
B) Imposed an undue burden on women by not exempting abortion to save the woman's health
C) Amounted to a prohibition of any available procedure for late-term abortions
D) All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following positions on conscientious objection, if any, holds that health care providers do not have a right to object to abortion or contraception on grounds of conscience?

A) Conscience absolutism
B) Conscience universalism
C) Conscience skepticism
D) All of the above

Question 9

On the basis of Chapter 13's discussion of the referral problem for health care providers opposed to abortion and contraception on conscience grounds, which of the following cases has been offered to argue that they lack a duty to refer?

A) Medical assistance in female genital cutting
B) Medical assistance in capital punishment
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Question 10

After Deborah Zimmerman's attorneys appealed the lower court's decision in her case, what was the ruling of the higher court?

A) That her case involved attempted homicide
B) That her case did not involve attempted homicide
C) That the fetus is a legal person
D) None of the above

Question 11

In light of the overpopulation problem facing some countries, would a public policy in those countries requiring women to terminate certain pregnancies be morally justified? Discuss an example and provide reasons for and against such a policy.

Question 12

According to Chapter 13, does a pregnant woman who knowingly causes fetal harm violate any maternal responsibility? If so, which ones? If not, why not? And which right might she invoke against any state interference?

Question 13

Is the so-called Disincentive Problem a reason for or against forcibly restraining pregnant women who are substance users? Does Capron's solution to this problem rest on moral or prudential considerations?

Question 14

Suppose that at week 26 of pregnancy, a woman undergoes pre-natal screening and diagnostic tests that reveal fetal defects. Could she have a legal abortion in the US? What would the plaintiffs in Gonzalez v Carhart say?

Question 15

Define the three positions health care providers may adopt regarding conscientious objection to abortion and contraception. Discuss which of these positions, if any, are compatible with the so-called duty of referral.