Ali Emmott

Intro. To Ethics
November 24, 2013
Movie Moral Dilemma
My Sisters Keeper, the first movie based on a novel by best-selling author
Jodi Picoult asks its viewers, Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save
a child's life even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth
trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?
Anna Fitzgerald was conceived by means of in vitro fertilization and was
brought into the world to be a genetic match for her older sister Kate, who suffers
from acute promyelocytic leukemia, in order to keep her alive. Anna was
genetically engineered to be a perfect donor of blood, marrow and whatever else
Kate might need. The story plays out when Kate turns 13 and she goes into renal
failure. Kates kidneys are failing and shell need one of Annas in order to
survive.
From a utilitarian standpoint, where one favors the greatest pleasure for
the least amount of pain, that creating Anna in efforts to help her sister would
make many more people happy than it would cause pain. Devoted but strongwilled mother Sara is in serious denial about her daughter Kates losing battle
with cancer and almost forgets about her other daughters health. Prior to Kate
getting sick again at age 13, the movie throughout goes back to the all the good,
happy and loving times the family has had and shows how much love there really
was for one another. These flash backs of family memories demonstrate that

Ali Emmott
Intro. To Ethics
November 24, 2013
giving birth to Anna brought joy into Brian and Sara Fitzgerald life and that there
was unconditional love for her.
By age 11 Anna has been poked and prodded with needles and had bone
marrow extracted twice. The likelihood of giving her kidney to Kate is terrifying,
since the operation is not without danger and it could rob Anna of the capacity to
live a normal life. Standing up to her mother, Anna decides she wants medical
emancipation, and approaches a lawyer, Campbell Alexander to take her case.
She does not want to live her life at risk because she only has one kidney. Anna
wants to live with her family and still loves her sister, but she wants control of her
body as any 11-year-old girl would. For a mere $700, Annas life savings
Alexander takes on her case, together they sue for medical privileges over
Annas body, for her right to decline potential hard from the procedures that
would save her sister.
Anna and Kates mother Sara, whos done everything to save Kate is
outraged and does not understand Annas selfishness. But isnt it rather selfish to
not think of Annas feelings about being chopped up against her will? Sara the
mother of the girls believes that her actions to use her daughter as the donor of
blood, cells and/or marrow for her other dying daughter to be morally and
ethically right. The films major ethical dilemma is it right to sacrifice one child for
another? In this situation a traditional ethical relativist would keep both girls alive
because in our society it would be morally right despite Kates readiness to die.

Ali Emmott
Intro. To Ethics
November 24, 2013
As the story is being told throughout the movie we learn that Kate is not
making progress and has two last requests. Kate knows she is dying and that
Annas kidney may not even help her but is and always has been thankful for
Anna. She is thankful for everything Anna has done and Anna would continue to
help but under Kates request she wants Anna to start living her life.
In conclusion the story completely goes with the moral philosophy of
Immanuel Kant, which identifies that a person is praised or blamed for their
actions based on the intentions with which they act. His idea is that a persons
action should not be judged on its consequences, rather it should be judged on
his or her intentions. Annas intentions were not to have her sister die but to fulfill
her sisters wishes because it was evident that Kate was suffering and had fought
long enough.