Names: 08 / 24 / 2023

BALUSTRE, Jhea Mikaela C. GETHICS (0897)

DALIYONG, Daphne Kate P.
MALIT, Melisa T.
RATAC, Mary Rose Anne G.

CASE ANALYSIS:
Katrina Hermosa, a pretty 19-year-old girl, is a nursing student. She suddenly stopped her
studies when her father resigned from work due to weakening health brought on by a diagnosis
of first-stage prostate cancer. Her mother, a plain housewife, told her to look for a job and help
with the needs at home and of her father. She has a boyfriend, also a nursing student, whom
she loves very much. But she has another persistent suitor who is well-to-do. The suitor
promised to help her with her studies and the health needs of his father if she broke up with her
present boyfriend and accepted his love proposal. Katrina is now confused.

1. While her father's health is essential, was it ethically acceptable to break up with her
boyfriend and accept the other suitor who can help with the health needs of her father?

We agreed that if Katrina didn't tell her boyfriend about her position and wasn't being open and
honest with him about it, it wouldn't be acceptable for her to suddenly break up with him with no
communication. While helping her father is important, not informing her boyfriend of the
circumstances and simply breaking up with him for financial gain is unethical because it is not
fair to her boyfriend to be treated that way. Ultimately it is up to her to make the decision, and
we believe that she should go consider her own happiness and well-being, as well as the harm
she may cause to her boyfriend, and that it is better for her to tell him about the circumstances
and her concerns, so that they can explore and find different solutions that don't call for her to
break up with him.

2. Was it ethically all right for the suitor to help her father in exchange for her love?

Our group agreed that it wasn't ethically appropriate for the suitor to financially back Katrina
Hermosa's father in exchange for her love. There should be no issues at all if the suitor truly
loves her as he insisted he did and helps her father out of the goodness of his heart. However, it
appears that he is merely doing this for her father in exchange for her love which could be seen
as manipulative and wrong. Love shouldn't be something you can buy or trade, so it's extremely
important to be open and honest in your communication and to make sure that any services or
favors you exchange are done so with good intentions while being mindful of the current
situation. On the other hand, Katrina already has a romantic partner whom she loves, as
mentioned above. Thus, with all the confusion, she must take into account both her own feelings
and those of her partner, as well as the potential impact on her family. This is because it is
important to carefully consider the situation and make a decision that is consistent with one's
personal values and perceptions. Additionally, actively pursuing someone who is already in a
committed relationship is often regarded as unethical and disrespectful because it can lead to
emotional distress and potentially harm the existing relationship and this is pretty much
agreeable especially when a couple is in a healthy relationship.

3. Does love require conditions?

The fundamental nature of relationships to human connection is love. But, is love supposed to
have a condition? Conditional love is understood as strong feelings of pleasure and attraction
between two people, based on how fully their personal needs and desires match. Love is
something which is a very firm and pure feeling in our mind. It doesn't have any terms and
conditions attached. A love which has these things attached isn't love. It can be a deep
friendship or idea of love but not love for sure. The purest form of love, a love that does not seek
pleasure or gratification. Love is loving every part of a person without seeking anything in return.
Conditional love can quickly be withheld or terminated if conditions are unmet or broken. So no,
real love has no conditions.

4. What if the mother advised her to accept her suitor, will the mother be correct? Defend your
answer.

If we apply the answer into the mother's perspective, then it would be considered correct, as the
mother's thought is just for the sake of the family. We sometimes think of our own decision as
"correct" so if we think that our decision comes out correct in our own mind, then it is considered
correct. But if we are looking into an "outsider's perspective", then it would be considered not, as
advising your own daughter to marry someone whom she doesn't love for the sake of money,
doesn't seem right and may come out wrong.

(This case is from Fr. Manlangit's (2020) Fundamental Concepts, Principles and Issues in
Bioethics, p.121.)