Ethical Dilemma that John Q Faces: Navigating Morality and Desperation in Healthcare

John Q is a film that plays out a very touching story. This film tells the story of John Quincy Archibald and his family. John, played by Denzel Washington, is a father and husband whose son is surprisingly diagnosed with a cardiac issue. At the same time, many other obstacles also begin to present themselves throughout the film.

Moral Lesson from John Q's Journey

The entire story begins with a motorist driving recklessly down a road only to lead to a fatal accident between herself and a truck.

  Meanwhile, John and his wife are financially struggling as the next scene shows his wife’s car being taken away for a missed payment. They continue to support their young son, Michael, at his baseball game, only to witness him collapse as he plays.

After being rushed to the hospital and going through various exams, John and his wife are sat by the doctor and hospital administrator to review Michael’s condition. Turns out, Michael was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and will ultimately die without a heart transplant, which is, in any case, extremely expensive. A down payment is required for John’s son to be put on the transplant recipient list.

The frustration and confusion begin to unfold when John explains that he and his family are medically covered by the insurance provided by his employment. After further investigating, John realizes that without his knowledge, his boss changed his employment status, which caused his insurance policy to change and further jeopardized his ability to cover his son’s medical needs. Determined to save their son, however, John and his wife begin raising money for the down payment, but with no patience, the hospital decides to discharge Michael.

Ethical Analysis: Healthcare System on Trial

With incredible frustration, John’s wife urges him to “do something,” which causes him to feel as if he has no other choice but to hold up the hospital and try and force them to take his son’s case seriously and put him at the top of the transplant recipient list. After forcing himself into the ER with a handgun, gathering hostages, and setting demands, the plot begins to thicken as John, the hospital staff, and the hostages begin to learn more about each other, and they begin to understand John’s situation and reason for his extreme actions. John also eventually agrees to terms made with the police, but after they turn on him, he feels he has no other option than to give his son his own heart, which would leave him to commit suicide.

He pulls the trigger after persuading the cardiac surgeon to operate and saying his last goodbyes to his son. Thankfully, to all of our surprise, his gun was never loaded, and the news of that woman who was fatally killed in that car accident in the beginning, comes full circle and prevents him from trying to kill himself a second time. Michael is given the life-saving operation, and after watching the procedure with his wife, John is taken into police custody. The entire case becomes subject to a national debate about the quality and accessibility of insurance and healthcare.

Although the majority of his charges were dropped, he still was found guilty on one account and left to face jail time. Throughout the film, we can see the ethical dilemmas that caused his actions and even to be justified. Overall, the film shows how the hospital and insurance do not consider each person’s individual cases and financial issues but treat it more as a business and a way for them to get paid. It is sad but true to realize this, but the message on how these parents would go to any extreme to save their child’s lives, surpassing all the obstacles put in front of them, was good to see because that is not always the case.

Reference

1. Burg, M., & Cassavetes, N. (Producers), & Cassavetes, N. (Director). (2002). John Q [Motion picture]. United States: New Line Cinema.

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