MED 320 Module 2 Part 2: Ethical Analysis Outline Example

Reviewed by Emmett Rockwell, MBA Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This MED 320 Module 2 sample is Part 2, the outline for the ethical analysis in Applied Medical/Health Care Ethics, a course in ASU's Medical Studies degree. Worth 20 points, the ASU MED 320 outline sets the structure for the four-part analysis that ends in an 80-point final paper on a current ethical event. The composite student chose the recent transplants of gene-edited pig kidneys into living patients. The outline describes the event, names the stakeholders, organizes the analysis around the four principles of biomedical ethics, adds two ethical theories, anticipates counterarguments and states a tentative conclusion, with the sources planned for each section.

CourseMED 320 Applied Medical/Health Care Ethics
ModuleModule 2
Paper typeEthical analysis outline
LengthAbout 360 words, 4 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramBS in Medical Studies
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for MED 320 Module 2

1

Outline: The Ethics of Pig Kidney Transplants in Living Patients

Student Name

BS in Medical Studies, Arizona State University

MED 320: Applied Medical/Health Care Ethics

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title names the event and signals that this is the plan for the full analysis.
2

Outline: The Ethics of Pig Kidney Transplants in Living Patients

I. Introduction

A. Hook: a patient on dialysis receives a kidney from a gene-edited pig.

B. The event: since 2024, surgeons in the United States have transplanted gene-edited pig kidneys into a small number of living patients, with regulated trials now getting under way (Beyer, 2025).

C. Thesis (tentative): Pig kidney xenotransplantation is ethically justified in carefully controlled trials, provided informed consent addresses unique risks and the public's infection risk is monitored.

II. Background

A. The kidney shortage: tens of thousands of people wait for a kidney in the United States, and many die waiting.

B. The science: pigs are gene-edited to reduce rejection and remove viral risks.

C. Early cases and the move to trials (Beyer, 2025).

III. Stakeholders

A. Patients on dialysis and their families.

B. Transplant teams and researchers.

C. Regulators and institutional review boards.

D. The public, including the risk of new infections.

E. Animals bred for organs.

IV. Analysis Using the Four Principles

A. Respect for autonomy: Can desperate patients give truly voluntary consent? What information do they need? (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019; Gordon et al., 2025)

B. Beneficence: Potential to extend life and escape dialysis.

C. Nonmaleficence: Unknown long-term risks; possible virus transmission to recipients and others.

D. Justice: Who gets access first; whether xenotransplants could ease the shortage fairly.

V. Ethical Theories

A. Utilitarianism: weighs the benefit to many future patients against risks to early participants and the public.

B. Deontology: duties to respect each participant as an end, not only as a means to research progress.

VI. Counterarguments

A. Animal welfare objections.

B. Public health risk outweighs individual benefit.

C. Resources would be better spent on increasing human organ donation.

VII. Responses to Counterarguments

A. Strict oversight and monitoring of recipients and contacts.

B. Animal welfare standards and limits on use.

C. Xenotransplantation and donation policy are not mutually exclusive.

VIII. Tentative Conclusion

Proceed with trials that include enhanced consent, lifelong monitoring and public reporting.

IX. Planned Sources

SectionSource
Event and early casesBeyer (2025)
Informed consent needsGordon et al. (2025); Cooper (2023)
Principles and theoriesBeauchamp and Childress (2019)

References

Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Beyer, M. (2025). Third genetically modified kidney xenotransplantation in living human recipient. Artificial Organs, 49(3), 337-338. https://doi.org/10.1111/aor.14945

Cooper, D. K. C. (2023). Patient informed consent for a clinical trial of gene-edited pig kidney transplantation: A representative consent form. Xenotransplantation, 30(1), e12790. https://doi.org/10.1111/xen.12790

Gordon, E. J., Gusmano, M. K., Gacki-Smith, J., Brooks, H., Matthews, M., Manning, D., Leventhal, J. R., & Maschke, K. J. (2025). Patients' information needs for informed consent to participate in first-in-human pig kidney xenotransplant clinical trials: A mixed methods study. Xenotransplantation, 32(1), e70016. https://doi.org/10.1111/xen.70016

Reading the MED 320 Module 2 assignment instructions

Part 2 of the MED 320 ethical analysis is the outline, worth 20 points and due in Module 2, after you select a current ethical event in Part 1. The outline lays out the structure of the analysis that you will draft in Part 3 and finish in Part 4, so it should show the event, the stakeholders, the ethical principles and theories you will apply, the counterarguments you will address and your tentative conclusion. The course asks you to evaluate the event based on health-related ethical foundations and theories, so name them explicitly. Follow the outline format your instructor posts in Canvas, and plan your sources now so the draft goes faster. An outline this detailed makes the draft in Module 4 much faster to write.

How this MED 320 Module 2 example is built

The sample uses roman numerals for the main sections and letters for points beneath them. The introduction states the event and a tentative thesis. Background and stakeholder sections set up the analysis, which is organized around the four principles of biomedical ethics and two theories. Counterarguments and responses are listed separately, and a small table at the end matches planned sources to sections. Each principle in the analysis section is phrased as a question about the event, which turns a list of principles into a plan for argument, and the counterarguments are paired with planned responses so the draft can move quickly.

Reading the MED 320 Module 2 grading rubric

Scoring the 20-point outline, instructors confirm that the event is current and clearly described, that the thesis is arguable, that ethical principles and theories are named and applied to specific questions, that stakeholders are identified and that counterarguments are anticipated. Marks drop when the outline is too thin to guide a paper, when it summarizes the event without an ethical framework, when counterarguments are missing and when sources are not yet identified. Graders also value outlines that show balance, planning to address objections such as animal welfare or public risk, and that use parallel structure so the instructor can see how each part will become a section of the paper. Clear sourcing counts too.

MED 320 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks

Make the thesis contestable, a position a fair reader might reject. List every group affected by the event. For each ethical principle, write one question the event raises. Add one theory beyond the principles. Note at least two counterarguments. Find two or three sources before submitting so the outline is grounded. Has your event grown too large to handle? Our desk can help trim it. Keep each outline point to a phrase or short sentence. Check that every section of the outline has at least one planned source. Use the instructor's feedback on your topic selection before finalizing the thesis. Then submit on time.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More MED 320 and BS in Medical Studies sample papers

MED 320 Module 2 questions, answered

Where can I find a free MED 320 Module 2 sample paper?

The full ethical analysis outline on pig kidney transplants in living patients is on this page.

What are the parts of the MED 320 ethical analysis?

Topic selection, outline, draft paper and final paper, worth 146 points in all.

What are the four principles of biomedical ethics?

Respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice.

How much is the MED 320 outline worth?

20 points.

What should an ethics outline include?

The event, stakeholders, principles and theories, counterarguments and a tentative conclusion.