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Ethics Committee Recommendation: Baby Bundle Case
As a healthcare manager and a member of the Ethics Committee, I am to provide a
recommendation on the ethically sensitive case of Baby Bundle who has been diagnosed with
anencephaly. This condition is always terminal and does not allow for any level of consciousness
or quality of life. The case is ethical in nature because the parents are torn between whether to
continue or stop the medical treatment on their child. This response analyzes the case from the
ethical perspective, the child’s rights, and the context, and then provides recommendations.
Major Stakeholders
The major stakeholders in this case include Baby Bundle, parents of Baby Bundle (Mr.
Bundle & Mrs. Bundle), the NICU medical team, the hospital ethics committee and the rest of
the hospital staff in general. Baby Bundle is the patient who is in need of protection of his or her
rights to dignity. Mr. Bundle wants to have his or her life support removed, while Mrs. Bundle
wants the treatment to be continued even if it is known to be futile. The physicians support
termination because the treatment will not be effective, while the nurses are concerned about the
baby’s pain when undergoing ordinary processes (Hamzi, 2022). The ethics committee is
supposed to ensure that they come up with a decision that is both ethical and legal in the process
taking into consideration the rights of the involved parties.
Ultimate Decision-Makers
From a legal and an ethical perspective, parents have the authority to make decisions on
behalf of their children especially the new born babies who are unable to make decisions on their
own. In this case, both parents are considered as legal custodians of the child and therefore they
share equal responsibilities. But in this case, the two do not share a common opinion, which
makes the situation even more complicated. The doctors cannot unilaterally remove a child from
treatment without the parents’ permission unless the court steps in. Thus, if an agreement is not
achieved, one has to turn to the legal system as the final decision maker. The role of the ethics
committee is to advise and facilitate and not to dictate and determine but to help in making right
decisions that are ethical and legal.
Baby Bundle’s Rights
Baby Bundle remains a legal person with certain rights in spite of being in a persistent
vegetative state, being incompetent, and lacking decision-making capacity; the right not to be
treated inhumanely and the right not to suffer unnecessarily. The principle of medical ethics that
is most relevant in this case is the principle of non-maleficence which means do no harm. This
principle could be violated by continued invasive treatment that is painful and invasive but not
therapeutic. The best interest of Baby Bundle must be defined in terms of the quality of life and
the relevance of the interventions to be provided to him. Since the infant cannot ever regain
consciousness or awareness, the infant’s right to die with dignity should be respected.
Relevant Ethical Theories and Principles
Ethics Committee Recommendation: Baby Bundle Case
As a healthcare manager and a member of the Ethics Committee, I am to provide a
recommendation on the ethically sensitive case of Baby Bundle who has been diagnosed with
anencephaly. This condition is always terminal and does not allow for any level of consciousness
or quality of life. The case is ethical in nature because the parents are torn between whether to
continue or stop the medical treatment on their child. This response analyzes the case from the
ethical perspective, the child’s rights, and the context, and then provides recommendations.
Major Stakeholders
The major stakeholders in this case include Baby Bundle, parents of Baby Bundle (Mr.
Bundle & Mrs. Bundle), the NICU medical team, the hospital ethics committee and the rest of
the hospital staff in general. Baby Bundle is the patient who is in need of protection of his or her
rights to dignity. Mr. Bundle wants to have his or her life support removed, while Mrs. Bundle
wants the treatment to be continued even if it is known to be futile. The physicians support
termination because the treatment will not be effective, while the nurses are concerned about the
baby’s pain when undergoing ordinary processes (Hamzi, 2022). The ethics committee is
supposed to ensure that they come up with a decision that is both ethical and legal in the process
taking into consideration the rights of the involved parties.
Ultimate Decision-Makers
From a legal and an ethical perspective, parents have the authority to make decisions on
behalf of their children especially the new born babies who are unable to make decisions on their
own. In this case, both parents are considered as legal custodians of the child and therefore they
share equal responsibilities. But in this case, the two do not share a common opinion, which
makes the situation even more complicated. The doctors cannot unilaterally remove a child from
treatment without the parents’ permission unless the court steps in. Thus, if an agreement is not
achieved, one has to turn to the legal system as the final decision maker. The role of the ethics
committee is to advise and facilitate and not to dictate and determine but to help in making right
decisions that are ethical and legal.
Baby Bundle’s Rights
Baby Bundle remains a legal person with certain rights in spite of being in a persistent
vegetative state, being incompetent, and lacking decision-making capacity; the right not to be
treated inhumanely and the right not to suffer unnecessarily. The principle of medical ethics that
is most relevant in this case is the principle of non-maleficence which means do no harm. This
principle could be violated by continued invasive treatment that is painful and invasive but not
therapeutic. The best interest of Baby Bundle must be defined in terms of the quality of life and
the relevance of the interventions to be provided to him. Since the infant cannot ever regain
consciousness or awareness, the infant’s right to die with dignity should be respected.
Relevant Ethical Theories and Principles
