Ethical Issues In Professional Life – Joan C Callahan

Ms. Kay decided against trying the treatment and asked that Sandy be euthanized because she did not want him to suffer any longer. She was extremely attached to the dog and left him at Dr. Cee’s with great sadness. That afternoon, Dr. Cee began the experimental treatment on Sandy. He felt that most researchers on the disease had made a crucial mistake and that he might be able to treat Sandy effectively. But because he had never tried the experimental treatment and because of Ms. Kay’s concern about Sandy’s discom- fort, he did not inform her.

A month later, Sandy was free of all symptoms of the disease. Dr. Cee called Ms. Kay, and asked if he might stop in to see her. She assured him she would be happy to have him drop by. He arrived with Sandy, who was fit and simply delighted to be home again.

Dr. Cee explained to Ms. Kay why he had decided to treat Sandy and that he had not told her because he did not want to raise her hopes. He did not ask Ms. Kay for any payment despite the fact that the hours and materials for the treatment totaled costs in excess of a thousand dollars. 1. Who is the veterinarian’s client — the pet or the pet owner? Explain your answer as fully as you are able.

2. Is it ever morally acceptable for a veterinarian to do research on a pet without the pet owner’s permission? If not, why not? If so, under what conditions? 3. Did Dr. Cee act in a morally acceptable way in this case? Defend your answer; anticipate and respond to the most serious objection to your view.

4. Suppose a man has died and his will stipulates that on his death his companion cat of thirteen years is to be euthanized. Suppose the family brings the cat to a veterinarian and requests euthanasia. Suppose the veterinarian can find a home for the cat, but the family insists that the man’s will must be respected. Would it be morally acceptable for the veterinarian to take the animal, leading the family to believe she will euthanize him, but then place the cat in another home?

Oxford New York Toronto Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi Petaling Jaya Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo Nairobi Dar es Salaam Cape Town Melbourne Auckland and associated companies in Beirut Berlin Ibadan Nicosia Copyright © 1988 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ethical issues in professional life. Bibliography: p. 1. Professional ethics. I. Callahan, Joan C, 1946- BJ1725.E73 1988 174 87-13275 ISBN 0-19-505362-1 ISBN 0-19-505026-6 (pbk.) Since this page cannot accommodate all the copyright notices, the pages to follow constitute an extension of the copyright page.

(Arabic numerals correspond to individual selections in the text.) 1. From Professional Ethics by Michael D. Bayles. © 1981 by Wadsworth, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. 2. Reprinted by permission of Daedalus, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, “The Professions,” Vol. 92, No. 4, Boston, MA. 3. Reprinted by permission of Daedalus, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, “The Professions,” Vol. 92, No. 4, Boston, MA. 4. Copyright © 1974 by John Calhoun Merrill. Reprinted by arrangement of Hastings House, Publishers.

5. Professor Freedman has elaborated on these views and modified them somewhat in Lawyers’ Ethics in an Adversary System (1975) (ABA Gavel Award Certificate of Merit, 1976) and in “Personal Responsibility in a Professional System,” 27 Catholic University Law Review, 191 (1976). 6. This article originally appeared in Human Rights, Vol. 5, a magazine of the American Bar Association. 7. Reprinted by permission of the Harvard Business Review.

“Is Business Bluffing Ethical?” by Albert Z. Carr (January/February 1968). Copyright © 1968 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College; all rights reserved. 8. Norman Chase Gillespie, “The Business of Ethics,” from Profits and Professions: Essays in Business and Professional Ethics, edited by Wade L. Robison, Michael S. Pritchard, and Joseph Ellin. Copyright © 1983 by Humana Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. 9. Thomas Nagel, “Ruthlessness in Public Life,” from Public and Private Morality, edited by Stuart Hampshire.

Copyright © 1978 by Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission of the author and publisher.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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