False Food Allergy By Kwame Anthony Appiah Summary

The ethical issue presented is about a conflicted family member who asked whether or not to expose their niece's fake food allergy and Kwame Anthony Appiah responded. The article “Should a Family Member Expose a Niece's Fake Food Allergy” is a personal anecdote of how the writer views the situation and feels responsible to act on behalf of their niece. According to the article, the sister in law of this person has imposed false belief in her daughter that a lot of food is dangerous. The family member believes that the sister in law is afraid of her daughter abandoning her to the point of creating a pretend food allergy. The anonymous writer states that they and their brother believe the food allergy is entirely fabricated. However, as pointed

Appiah states although it's well to be concerned in family issues, going behind their back isn't going to solve the problem. The ethicist agreed that allergies are a serious medical condition, as he gives statistics of the number of Americans that die annually from food allergies. Appiah mentions a possible mental disorder, called Munchausen Syndrome that the sister in law may have to explain her controlling behavior as a parent. However, he dismisses the possibility that a “factitious disorder imposed on another” because it's not common in our society. Hence, Appiah concludes since there's nothing to support their hypothesis, therefore, the family member shouldn't expose the sister in law. Appiah encourages the family member to help the niece by offering advice when she's older and to communicate with the father about the concerns regarding the claim. An issue with exposing the fake food allergy is presented by the ethicist that the allergist may not discuss any medical information due to patient confidentiality. Furthermore, the ethicist points out that unless there is serious mental abuse occurring to the daughter, the family member needs to step back and reassess the