Heith, Catherine2023-02-162023-02-162022-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/252477University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. December 2022. Major: Bioethics. Advisor: Jennifer Needle. 1 computer file (PDF); ii, 88 pages.Advances in care for children with critical heart disease has improved survival in those children, however, there has been a corresponding increase in morbidity and technology dependence. Decision-making concerning potential therapies that may result in a significant long-term medicalization requires excellent communication and guidance to ensure prognostic awareness. The public ranking system used by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons assigns a rank according to mortality only and does not consider morbidity, thus creating a conflict of interest for surgeons in providing guidance concerning disease-directed or palliative-directed care. Using a feminist ethics lens, this conflict can be understood as a product of an imbalance of power in the medical system allowing surgeons to control the narrative and knowledge production. This hinders the development of moral community which is needed to flatten the hierarchy and ensure the voices of the family and medical team are heard.enThesis or Dissertation