Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Name(s)The Admissions and Policy Committee used several criteria to determine who would receive dialysis:1. Only people who would benefit medically from dialysis (as determined by a physician)were eligible.2. Only adults—no children—were eligible. The committee’s argument was that more childrenwould benefit if their parents or guardians who needed dialysis received it. Most adults supportedmultiple children.3. Only residents of the State of Washington were eligible. Residents paid state taxes, and statetaxes paid for treatment.4. Only individuals who were “valuable to society when their lives were examined holistically”were eligible. That is, the committee used applicants’ “social worth” or “value to society” as acriterion. Committee members used several factors to determine social worth: income, sex,marital status, net worth, nature of occupation, extent of education, church attendance, numberof dependents (more dependents gave applicants a better chance of being chosen), andpotential for rehabilitation. The factors helped the committee determine the probable lossto society if an applicant died, including the loss of economic support to dependent childrenwho would then need state financial assistance.Write your answer to the questions below.Copyright © 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Exploring Bioethics.Permission granted for classroom use.Do you agree with the criteria the committee used for distributing access to the dialysis machines?Why or why not?Selected Sources: McGough, L.J., Reynolds, S.J., Quinn, T.C., and Zenilman, J.M. 2005. Which patients first? Setting priorities forantiretroviral therapy where resources are limited. American Journal of Public Health, 95: 1173–1180. Retrieved February 28, 2009,from http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/7/1173. National Kidney Foundation. 2008. How your kidneys work. RetrievedDecember 22, 2008, from http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/howkidneyswrk.cfm. National Kidney Foundation Serving East Tennessee.2009. Kidney disease A to Z health guide: Dialysis. Retrieved December 22, 2008, from http://www.kidney.org/site/atoz/atoz­Item.cfm? ch=210&&id=39. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearing House (NKUDIC), a service of the NationalInstitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health. 2006. Treatment methods forkidney failure: Hemodialysis. Retrieved December 22, 2008, from http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/hemodialysis.Master 3.3 (Page 2 of 2)