The text presents four real-life ethical dilemmas:
1. A man named Logan was wrongly imprisoned for 26 years for a crime he did not commit. Two lawyers knew he was innocent, but they could not speak up due to professional secrecy. The real murderer, Andrew Wilson, was their client and had confessed to them.
2. A 70-year-old man with a "do not resuscitate" tattoo was hospitalized, but the doctors were unsure if the tattoo was a valid expression of his wishes. An ethics consultant advised respecting the tattoo, but the patient later died after being resuscitated.
3. A study in the 1930s, known as the Tuskegee Study, involved deceiving African American men with syphilis, telling them they would receive free treatment when in fact they were given placebos. The study aimed to observe the progression of the disease.
4. A study in 2011, known as the "Promise" study, involved giving HIV-infected pregnant women and their babies either antiretroviral therapy or a placebo. Some ethicists argue that it was wrong to deny treatment to the control group, especially in underdeveloped areas where access to treatment was limited.
The text also discusses the case of Henry and his wife, Donna, who had Alzheimer's disease. Henry was accused of sexually abusing Donna, but he argued that they had always loved each other and that Donna still enjoyed their intimate moments. The case raises questions about consent and the right to make decisions about one's own sex life when suffering from dementia.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Logan, a man, was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 26 years in prison.
2. Two lawyers, Coventry and Jamie Khan, knew Logan was innocent but didn't speak up due to professional secrecy.
3. The real murderer, Andrew Wilson, was a client of the lawyers and had confessed to them.
4. Wilson was already in prison for killing two police officers and didn't want the lawyers to reveal the truth.
5. The lawyers wrote a sworn statement saying Logan was innocent, but didn't mention their client.
6. The statement was kept secret until after Wilson's death.
7. A 70-year-old man with septic shock was admitted to a hospital with a "do not resuscitate" tattoo on his chest.
8. The hospital staff was unsure whether to respect the tattoo or not, as it was not a legally binding document.
9. An ethics consultant recommended respecting the patient's tattoo, but later specialists disagreed with this advice.
10. The patient's identity was eventually found, and it was discovered that he had no "do not resuscitate" order.
11. A study was conducted in 2011 to evaluate strategies to reduce the transmission of HIV from mothers to children in less developed countries.
12. The study included a group of volunteers who received a placebo, which was criticized as unethical.
13. The study was conducted in underdeveloped areas where the participants may not have had access to effective treatment otherwise.
14. A former legislator from Iowa, Henry, was accused of sexually abusing his wife, Dona, who had Alzheimer's disease.
15. The accusation was made by Dona's new roommate, who reported that Henry and Dona had sex.
16. Henry was arrested and charged with sexual assault, but was later released due to lack of evidence.
17. The case raised questions about the issue of consent in patients with dementia and the right to decide about their sexual life.