Ethical issues in Fantasia Goodwin's pregnancy and basketball participation

Pregnant Athletes

Identification

Many ethical issues were raised when Fantasia Goodwin decided to continue with the basketball season while she was carrying a baby in her womb. The ethical issues are associated with the well being of the fetus and the mother as well along with the official recommendations that have been issued pertaining to pregnant athletes. The first ethical issue that should be highlighted with respect to Fantasia's case study is that by preferring the sport over her pregnancy, Fantasia put her fetus (that developed from a mass of cells into a living being) at stake. This implies that she endangered a human life, which was obviously a wrong thing to do. Another ethical issue found in this scenario is the violation of the official recommendations of the American Gynecological and Obstetric Association. The Association recommends that any pregnant woman should refrain from contact sports since this can lead to the death or morbidity of the fetus as well as the mother. Needless to say, Fantasia should have acted upon the recommendations of the AGOA. Furthermore, it should be noted here that if Fantasia or her fetus would have suffered from a medical condition because of continuing the sport during her pregnancy, it would have laid a million dollar lawsuit on the institution for which she was playing. She should have pulled out from sport for the prevention of the aforementioned situation, even though luckily enough it did not happen. Another point that should be noted here is that there are some women who do not believe that playing a certain sport would harm their child. In such a case when a woman is ready to take any risks and is passionate about her sport, the coaches and the team managers decide to allow them to play because if they do not do so then it would be considered a case of discrimination against pregnant women, which would not be right. Finally, another ethical issue that can be spotted in this case study is that regardless of the outcomes, Fantasia should have told her coach about her pregnancy from the very beginning. If she was so passionate about completing the season, she could have defended her position.

The central ethical issue that is there in this case study is the threat that Fantasia posed to her fetus. There is a need to resolve this issue because other pregnant athletes can get impressed from this case and continue playing the sport while they are carrying a child. Playing a contact sport in pregnancy can result in a miscarriage or a stillbirth that can adversely affect the woman and her family.

Stakeholders

There should be a screening test for all the female athletes before the start of every season, which would rule out pregnancy in any athlete

An official policy should be made that no female athlete should indulge in unprotected sexual activities while she is a student athlete

The pregnant female athlete should be asked to get a medical certificate from her obstetrician that would allow her to play the sport

The decision of playing or not playing the sport in pregnancy should only be sought from the student athlete and she should be responsible for the outcomes

Pregnant Student Athletes

Those who have been trying to hide the truth just because they want to remain in the team will be affected, meanwhile the others can go through the screening test without any fears

They might consider it as an assault on their privacy and freedom of action since every person has the right to sexual activities, protected or unprotected

They might try to influence the physician and misguide them about the sport that they play

It will give a higher degree of freedom and satisfaction

Team Administration

The coach other members of the sports association will not have to suffer from any lawsuit or economic decline because of any unfortunate event

It is very difficult for the team administration to make sure that this option is implemented since they might have to face a great deal of criticism while making this option a permanent part of the policy

The administration needs to make sure that the medical certificate is a valid one from a certified physician

The administration or the coach of the team will not be held responsible for any untoward event

Physician/Obstetricians

The physicians would have to reassure the athletes that once they have delivered the baby safely, they can return to the sport

Physicians can counsel the student athletes about the various methods of contraception and protected intercourse

The responsibility of this option is completely on the physician since he/she has to make sure that the sport played by the pregnant athlete is not dangerous for her and the unborn child

The student athletes should be counseled properly and each risk factor should be discussed in detail so that there is no poor decision making involved that would result in the miscarriage of the baby

Teammates

The teammates have to be supportive for the one who is pregnant

N/A

N/A

The teammates should make sure that they do not unnecessarily push the pregnant athlete once she decides to play during her pregnancy

IV. Application

Consequential Theory

NCAA has done a great deal of work to make sure that the pregnant student athletes are protected from any kind of injury by coming up with the Model Policy that has been shared with all the sporting organizations. The main reason why many people are against pregnant athletes playing the sport is that it is the right of the unborn child to be protected by its parents. Therefore, the main purpose of this policy is to make sure that every student athlete, pregnant or non-pregnant, is safe while playing the sport. In the Model Policy it has been stated that the student athletes who become pregnant should not be discriminated and pulled out of the team. The policy also urges the coaches and the team administration to arrange medical facilities within the sporting club or organization so that the situation can be handled promptly. Unnecessary disclosure of pregnancy before it is well established has also been discouraged by this policy. Since the main ethical concern is the protection of the unborn child, the application of this policy and the theory it has been based on can result in fewer accidents that lead to miscarriage, without the female athletes compromising their passion.

Being a part of the sport is the right of every athlete, pregnant or non-pregnant. The aforementioned Model Policy aims at protecting this right of the athletes along with the protection of their fetus. By allowing the pregnant athletes to play, this policy wishes to avoid any retaliation that might come from these athletes. By making sure that a physician is present within the sporting organization, any untoward event can be avoided. Disclosure of pregnancy has been discouraged, which helps to avoid any unnecessary commotion within the team. The Model Policy emphasizes the importance of health of the athletes. Therefore, this policy can be helpful in protecting the unborn child and the pregnant athlete.

Non-consequential Ethical Theory

Many countries have signed the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all sorts of Discrimination against Women. The aim of this convention is to guard the fundamental rights of women and give them equal opportunities as compared to men. One of the clauses of this convention also focuses on discrimination against women in the field of sports. The countries that have signed this convention strive to make sure that women are considered equal to men in all the fields of life including sports. The clauses of this convention are also applicable on pregnant athletes since the federal and state legislation in countries like Australia have made discrimination against pregnant women unlawful. A forum was conducted on Pregnancy Sports in Sydney, with respect to the aforementioned convention, which concluded that falls and contact sport does not necessarily have to result in a miscarriage. However, there was also some difference in the views of different medical experts on this subject.

As explained earlier, the coaches often refrain from disqualifying a pregnant athlete from the team or sport because they do not want their actions to fall under the category of gender discrimination. Yet again, many coaches also believe that the decision to continue the sport should be made by the athletes. It is the basic human right of every woman to be in the sport that she wants to play. Pregnancy should be dealt with as a medical condition. This implies that the advice of the medical expert should matter more than anything else. Therefore, any woman athlete who is carrying a child should play if her physician allows her to do so.

V. Decision Making

The pregnant student athletes should be allowed to continue the sport they play once they get a medical certificate from their gynecologist. The medical certificate should state that the chances of injury to the unborn child and the other are not high enough to pull the pregnant athlete out of the team and sport. There are two benefits of this decision. These address the two main ethical issues that could arise in a situation where pregnant athletes are allowed to play. The first one is the health and life of the unborn child (Sorensen et. al, 2009). The second one is the elimination of gender discrimination on the basis of pregnancy from the field of sports. Therefore, if the obstetrician allows her patient to play the sport that she wants to, she should be allowed to do so.

VI. Evaluation

What if an athlete has a miscarriage because of suffering an injury while playing the sport?

Around 15% of pregnancies are lost in the first trimester for unknown reasons. Therefore, if the miscarriage is early it can be labeled as an inevitable one. Even if the miscarriage occurs in the second trimester, it could be a result of an abnormality in the fetus (Anthony, 2002).

What if the athlete lies to the obstetrician about the nature of sport?

Doctors are good at probing into things; they know how to do their job. They always explain the consequences of things to the patients. Sporting organizations can hire their own physicians and gynecologists.

What if the child develops developmental abnormalities?

Yet again, the doctors will explain all the consequences to the patient. After knowing everything, if she still wants to continue, no one can stop her. She has the fundamental right of freedom of action.

VII. Reflections

Whenever a decision has to be made related to anything, there are many aspects that need to be considered. One such aspect is the ethical arena. Whenever a person or a group of people have to make a decision, they have to widen their horizons and consider each and every person that could be affected by their decision. Moreover, there are some ethical theories and Acts that need to be taken in consideration. Even when decisions are made taking care of everything, the decision will still attract some criticism. Therefore, the people who are making this decision should use rationale and logic to explain their decision to the critiques. On the other hand, one should also know how to balance two ethical situations. The one that has a higher weightage should obviously be preferred on the one that has a lower weightage.