Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.

Posted: January 1st, 2023

Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.

This assignment will incorporate a common practical tool in helping clinicians begin to ethically analyze a case. Organizing the data in this way will help you apply the four principles of principlism. Based on the “Case Study: Healing and Autonomy” and other required topic study materials, you will complete the “Applying the Four Principles: Case Study” document that includes the following:

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Part 1: Chart This chart will formalize principlism and the four-boxes approach by organizing the data from the case study according to the relevant principles of biomedical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Part 2: Evaluation This part includes questions, to be answered in a total of 500 words, that describe how principalism would be applied according to the Christian worldview. Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials. APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.

“Health and Autonomy” Case Study: The Four Bioethical Principles of Principlism in the Context of the Christian Narrative
Applying the Four Principles: Case Study
Part 1: Chart (60 points)
Based on the “Healing and Autonomy” case study, fill out all the relevant boxes below. Provide the information by means of bullet points or a well-structured paragraph in the box. Gather as much data as possible.
Medical Indications
Beneficence and Nonmaleficence Patient Preferences
Autonomy
• Beneficence is the bioethical principle that means only good should be done to the patient through all actions taken. Nonmaleficence on the other hand means not doing the patient any harm (Page, 2012; Chonko, 2012).Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.
• In the case study, the physician displayed beneficence when he ordered immediate hemodialysis for James because that is what would do him good.
• Mike and Joanne also showed beneficence when they offered to donate their kidneys for James to save his life. This is the same case with the parents’ friends and church members who also offered to donate their kidneys.
• The nephrologist also showed beneficence when he suggested that since everybody else was not a match to James, his identical twin brother could be considered.
• Mike and Joanne show nonmaleficence when they do not feel it is a good idea to let Samuel lose a kidney to his brother. They feel it may do him harm, although this conflicts with the beneficence the same action would cause to James. • Autonomy is the ethical principle that states that a patient (the parents in the case of a minor) should be allowed to make decisions about their care and accept or refuse treatment (Page, 2012: Chonko, 2012).Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.
• The doctor allows Mike and Joanne to exercise autonomy when they decide to forego hemodialysis for James in the first instance and choose to place their faith in God.
• When Mike and Joanne take James to a faith healing service, they are exercising their autonomy.
Quality of Life
Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy Contextual Features
Justice and Fairness
• Beneficence: the physician suggesting immediate dialysis for James, Mike and Joanne agreeing to donate their kidneys for James, friends and church members agreeing to donate their kidneys for James, and the nephrologist suggesting Samuel as a viable donor for James.
• Nonmaleficence: the parents (Mike and Joanne) feeling that Samuel will be harmed by donating one of his kidneys.
• Autonomy: the parents choosing faith in God over dialysis ordered by the doctor, and the same parents taking James to a faith healing service. • Justice is the fourth bioethical principle that states that the patient and their next-of-kin should be treated fairly and given access to the best care available.Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.
• When the nephrologist suggests that the twin brother donate one of his kidneys to James, he is exercising justice as a principle.
• When the parents agree to bring James back to the hospital after the faith service, that action is also justice.

Part 2: Evaluation
Answer each of the following questions about how principlism would be applied:
1. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, which of the four principles is most pressing in this case? Explain why. (45 points)
Christian worldview could be described as the set of beliefs and opinions that govern the way humans view the world and the relationship between them and God in the world. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ that are found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible (Summit Ministries, 2019).Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative. One of the teachings of Jesus Christ, the most important commandment is to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. Jesus explained on being asked who a neighbor is. He said that your neighbor is anybody who is in need and whom you are in a position to help. Jesus also once gave a teaching of the parable of the good Samaritan. When everybody else was passing an injured man lying by the roadside, the good Samaritan, who did not know the man, took it upon himself to save the man and help him until he felt better. What these teachings mean in the Christian worldview context is that we should always do good to the next person.
Given the above background on the Christian worldview, the most pressing bioethical principle in this case study is definitely beneficence. James is sick and needs to have a kidney transplant. All other principles are important, but the overriding one is that which requires everyone to do that which will bring him the most good – healing. And that can only be explained by beneficence. The reasons have been explained above in terms of the Christian worldview.

2. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how might a Christian rank the priority of the four principles? Explain why. (45 points)
The Christian worldview as explained above centres on avoiding doing evil to others and only showing them love by doing good to them. As stated, the overriding guiding tenet is therefore love and good. With this view, it follows that doing good (beneficence) will be the topmost principle of bioethics followed by the others. A Christian might therefore rank the four principles as follows: beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice.Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.
Beneficence tops the other principles because it directly addresses the concept of good. This can be translated to mean love as taught by Jesus Christ when he said that the greatest commandment is love. To do good to someone else, you must first love them. It is not conceivable, at least according to the Christian worldview, to do good to a person that you hate. That would be contradictory to the teachings in the Bible. Nonmaleficence follows beneficence in that order because it is still directly related to doing good or otherwise. It means not bringing harm to the other person, which is basically the polar opposite of beneficence. Third is autonomy. Granting someone their wish on how they are cared for could be translated to mean doing them good by letting them take charge. That is why this principle comes third, immediately after the first two that are directly related to doing good. The last principle in that order is justice. Ensuring justice and fairness is not a direct good but has the intentions of finally having the person in question receiving good treatment out of fairness.Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative.