A Bioethical Decision

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Nathaniel Wu, a talented and dedicated microbiologist, should be hired for the Intercontinental Pharmaceutical Company (ICP) under certain conditions. Wu, who was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, was seen as the ideal candidate for the employment position the IPC was offering until this inconvenience was unveiled. To offer Wu employment unconditionally is extremely risky for the medical costs and equipment damages he can bring to the company can be devastating; to deny Wu employment entirely is a violation of bioethics and discrimination, for he was already offered the job position conditionally before taking medical tests. By offering Wu employment under certain conditions, Wu can be part of the IPC and have him employment terminated as soon as his condition begins interfering with his work quality.
If Nathaniel Wu did not have the allele for Huntington’s disease, he would undeniably be the perfect scientist for the position in the eyes of the IPC. Wu is a 30-year-old microbiologist at one if the best research laboratories worldwide. After a series of interviews, the IPC was convinced his determination was not only factor that qualified him more in comparison to the other candidates; they realized that his potential “[is] likely to result in the type of discoveries for new drugs and treatments,” a goal that has not been reached since Dr. Peters’s incident. Wu is also known as a creative researcher and a hard worker, meaning that hiring him will likely result in a dramatic increase of earnings for the IPC. Considering that Huntington’s disease will most likely deteriorate Wu’s abilities, many may argue that it is not worthwhile to hire Wu; it is foreseen that the symptoms of Huntington’s disease begin to appear as soon as th...

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... between 11 to 24 repeats of the CAG allele; many people may argue that hiring Wu is an extremely risky decision since Wu has 72 repeats of the CAG allele when any amount above 42 appears to be correlated with an earlier manifestation of symptoms. However, nothing is certain and hiring or not hiring Wu is enough of a risk for the IPC already. The best path to take is to hire Wu with a contract that terminates Wu’s employment as soon as he begins to show symptoms and have an understudy ready to replace Wu after his leave. If the IPC decides not to hire Nathaniel Wu, they must solely base the decision from the qualifications of both candidates, otherwise the decision will have violated bioethics. Regardless of the decision the IPC makes, the company will inevitably face financial struggles; it is a matter of acting upon the stalemate that it has trapped itself within.

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