Jean has her first child at age 14. By the time she is 30, she has five children ranging in age from
5 to 16 years old. Married and divorced twice, she has spent 11 years living on Aid for
Dependent Children. During the past five years, however, she has been working in a
rehabilitation center, taking courses, and advancing on the job, even though she has no degree. In
the process of all this, Jean discovers that she is intelligent and capable of controlling her own
life. She is also aware of her mistakes and is determined to prevent her children from making the
same mistakes she has made. When she notices her 16-year-old becoming overly interested in
boys, she enrolls her in a state-supported boarding school for poor families. Despite this, the
daughter becomes pregnant. Jean foresees another child at home, a daughter without education
and work, and the start of another cycle of Aid for Dependent Children. Moreover, tests reveal
that the child will have cystic fibrosis and will pose additional burdens on the family. Certainly,
such a child will have no chance of adoption. Jeans dream of self-sufficiency appears doomed.
She brings all this up at the physicians office while she has a bad case of the flu.
The patient is asking for both medical and moral advice. What can the physician say? Who is
responsible for answering the moral questions? Should the presence of cystic fibrosis affect the
decision?.
Jean has her first child at age 14. By the time she is 30, she has f.pdf
1. Jean has her first child at age 14. By the time she is 30, she has five children ranging in age from
5 to 16 years old. Married and divorced twice, she has spent 11 years living on Aid for
Dependent Children. During the past five years, however, she has been working in a
rehabilitation center, taking courses, and advancing on the job, even though she has no degree. In
the process of all this, Jean discovers that she is intelligent and capable of controlling her own
life. She is also aware of her mistakes and is determined to prevent her children from making the
same mistakes she has made. When she notices her 16-year-old becoming overly interested in
boys, she enrolls her in a state-supported boarding school for poor families. Despite this, the
daughter becomes pregnant. Jean foresees another child at home, a daughter without education
and work, and the start of another cycle of Aid for Dependent Children. Moreover, tests reveal
that the child will have cystic fibrosis and will pose additional burdens on the family. Certainly,
such a child will have no chance of adoption. Jeans dream of self-sufficiency appears doomed.
She brings all this up at the physicians office while she has a bad case of the flu.
The patient is asking for both medical and moral advice. What can the physician say? Who is
responsible for answering the moral questions? Should the presence of cystic fibrosis affect the
decision?
