Cochlear Implant
Ethical Issues:
Hearing parents and people have the notion that everything possible must be done to improve hearing impaired children's ability to function normally in the greater society.
To some of them, the reality of a deaf child is a catastrophe and the thought of a life without hearing ability is unbearable, together with the accompanying emotional chaos. Their perception is reflected in history and highlights the total misconception of the ability of hearing impaired. To them to deny implantation is unethical and compared to contravene the Hippocrates's oath. They experience cochlear implants as a modern day biblical cure while the hearing impaired on the other hand experiences this radical intervention of implantations as just another attack on their culture.
Congenitally hearing impaired children are considered for this procedure at a very young age while the brain is still in a developing phase and experiencing interpretation of senses. Thus recipients do not make their own choice and emotionally involved inner circle overseers, often without knowledge or background of the hearing impaired, determines in their behalf. Ethics of such implantation on otherwise healthy kids are often criticized and suspicions are often leveled at manufacturers and medical practitioners who stand to gain in the process, as they are accused of minimizing the risk and exaggerate the efficiency and results of cochlear implantations. Therefore it is not surprising that the strongest opposition to this procedure originates from the hearing impaired communities themselves, as they stand to defend their culture and their civil rights.
Cochlear implants and the essential accompanying therapy is said to become the focus and not the individual's identity at the expense of developing traditional methods of communication resulting in poor self esteem, as the intervention does not create or repair natural hearing, rather than to be a proud hearing individual.
Some researchers claim cochlear implanted persons are more susceptible to education if sign language at the same time is withheld. On the other hand, hearing impaired kids with implants are more isolated from their counterparts who does sign with the accompanied typifying of the individual and his dependency on hearing experts and educators.
In the developed world with its greater resources widespread, cochlear implants are indicated as the major contributor to the decline of sign language and deaf activists have organized protest, against the procedure as they labeled it cultural genocide. Please note that understandably the most unwavering protesters were hereditary impaired who feared the loss of their offspring to the hearing world and the decline of their culture.
Visionary educators, teaching Deaf children, have developed and successfully implemented communicational methods where sign, together with technology, has greatly enhanced the receptive interaction with each other and with their environment in the delicate art of communication.
|
