Introduction
‘My Sister Keeper’ is a historical tragedy novel about child Anna Fitzgerald, who seeks an order of emancipation to avoid giving her kidney for a transplant operation to her sister with terminal cancer, trying to break out of her parents’ control. Throughout this morally driven plot, the author is intrigued by tough questions related to ethics, death, and free will concerning an extremely progressive age of medicine. While the film does not provide any solution to such matters, it contains both realism and possibilities that carry amplification over reflections of discourses on medical liberties and duties.
My Sister’s Keeper is a touching novel that reveals ethical dilemmas associated with the medical field and points out issues about death. In the middle is Anna, a genetically designed person born to be used as a donor by her older sister Kate, who is suffering from rare leukemia. However, we realize that Anna starts to hesitate to give away different parts of her body to help Kate live longer, and with every day she wishes to have her own body back, the bigger the problem of lack of bodily autonomy appears, the harder it gets to bear identity.
Anna, a 13-year-old girl, sues for medical emancipation from her parents, arguing that they should have made decisions without her support for her kidney transplant. From this standpoint, Anna was designed by them in a special way to meet the goal of saving Kate’s life. They tried everything they could do, as advised by health practitioners, to preserve the life of their oldest daughter. But has it taken the excess of Anna’s good?
Increasing tension in the family and awkward questions follow as the case emerges. After all, do parents have such a right to make such radical decisions on their children’s behalf? Does poor Anna’s life allow dictates from her grandly sick sister? Because one life is being extended, when does that start devaluing another? The parents claim that nothing can separate their love for both of their daughters to make them love one more than the other, but as is shown by their behaviors, they would rather do so.
Even though Anna has never chosen anything alone for herself while sacrificing plenty of a part of her own body and soul, no matter how much a medical twist nullifies the donated kidney to save Kate, it becomes even clearer what has been taken away from Anna, spoiling both its reality and appearance. Anna, a godly figure, lacks freedom of choice. The ending is melodramatic and optimistic, showcasing Anna breaking free but realizing she still desires the freedom she believes Jekyll has stolen.
Several themes can be highlighted in this story. First, the idea of how sickness affects families and, more importantly, impacts family values—the value of human life and choices, followed by love is expressed with good intentions but is still imperfect. This film explores the dilemmas of care versus encroachment, highlighting the importance of personal independence in a rapidly evolving medical world and the need for dialogue and understanding in preserving life
Conclusion
My Sister’s Keeper explores the complex choices individuals make after family trauma, especially in complex health situations. Anna’s struggle for freedom and her sister’s salvation reveal the human ability to protect one’s choices. My Sister’s Keeper is a film that explores challenging medical ethics issues, balancing the preservation of life with free will. The film highlights the importance of impartiality between perspectives, promoting thoughtful questions, openness, and forward movement, despite the loss of individual identity. It also highlights the struggle to balance the preservation of life with free will.
Reference
Cassavetes, N. (Director). (2009). My sister’s keeper [Film]. New Line Cinema.
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