Case Study: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative

This case study explores the pressing issues of blind faith in Christianity and the importance of treatment for survival. It also discusses the physician's perspective, Christian narrative on patient autonomy, organ donation, sickness and health, and Mike's reaction.

Running head: CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN
NARRATIVE
Case Study: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative
Name of the Student
Grand Canyon University: PHI 413V
Author Note

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
Introduction
Diseases frequently tend to cause various sufferings and illness that unleashes the
search towards the meaning and for the understanding of the devastating experiences
(Rafferty, Billig & Mosack, 2015). The Bible and the context of the Christianity depict some
of the holy phrases illustrating the importance of praying and faith towards Christianity and
the spirit of Jesus. The assignment highlights a scenario of Mike and his blind faith on Jesus,
which is holding him back to treat his son who is suffering from acute kidney failure.
Pressing Issues
The most pressing issues for this case study are Mike’s blind faith in god. Mike is
leaving the entire hope of his son James over to god without doing anything fruitful or
effective in terms of treatment. It is his blind faith to god, which has complicated the entire
prognosis of the pathophysiological condition for James. Even when the doctor highlighted
that Samuel is the best fit kidney donor for James and James has only one year in hand for
kidney transplant, Mike is thinking about his faith towards Lord and dreaming of something
Miracle to happen. Another pressing issue in the case study is in-appropriate initiatives form
the healthcare professionals to make Mike understand that god only help those who are
proactive in helping themselves. There is nothing miracle going to happen for James unless
and until proper treatment is given.
Physicians Perspective
Under the present scenario, the physician should no longer allow Mike to continue
make decision for James. This is because, irrational thought process of Mike and his blind
faith towards god has already has James overall condition critical. However, according to

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
Kelly, Magill and Ten Have (2013), the right of autonomy and the right of informed consent
is opted to the parents when the child is a minor. Here James is only 8 years old and thus he is
a minor. Thus, it will be the duty of the physicians to make James parents to understand the
importance of treatment for James survival. The James should also be educated from
physicians perspective of importance of organ donation.
Christian Narrative
Treatment Refusal
Under the Christian narrative, human dignity is preserved under every stage of life.
As per the belief of Catholics, voluntary of direct killing of innocent life is gravely wrong.
When a life-saving or life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn with an intension that a miracle
will happen, it is considered to be unethical. It is also considered as euthanasia or suicide.
Christianity is against euthanasia (Brown & Slutzky, 2017). Thus as per the Christian
narrative, Mike’s approach of treatment refusal is not supported as it is hampering James life.
By refusing treatment for James, Mike is actually endangering life of his son and thus against
Christianity.
Patient Autonomy
Patient Autonomy from Christian narrative is somewhat oxymoron. This is because,
the life of Christian is bounded by the God’s sovereign direction. The people who are
Christian is constrained by the moral parameters of God’s word and the overall activity of
Holy Spirit under the proper guidance and god’s direction. Under Christianity, freedom can
never be used as a pretest for doing evil. It is considered as life of slaves. It is hardly an
imagery thing that would help to promote unconstrained autonomy. Thus the condition of
Mike cannot be explained under the Christianity principle of autonomy (Wilson et al., 2014).

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
Organ Donation
There is nothing-specific written in Bible that will prevent Christian from organ
donation or accepting organ through transplant. However, since the last book of the Bible was
written nearly 2000 years ago, the subject of organ transplant is not specifically mentioned in
Bible but the principle of Bible do not proposed against donation (Ralph et al., 2014).
According to Ralph et al. (2014), organ donation is giving an organ to someone to help
someone in order to survive. The Christian fait is erected on the revelation of God in the life
of Christ. It is the Christ who taught to love people and embrace the needs to others and thus
Christianity vouch in favor of organ donation.
Sickness and Health
The history regarding the religion of Christianity has witnessed numerous debates
regarding the concepts and the attitudes towards the issues of health and suffering and the
relevant confrontation regarding fraility and human illness (Aldwin et al., 2017). The
theoretical notions regarding the suffering and the death of Jesus is thus viewed mostly by the
redemptive valuations regarding the context of suffering. The Bible and the context of
Christianity depict how the god creates the physical and the spiritual life of humans. The
human bodies endure sickness, decay, pain, and suffering sometimes which needs medical
care and help. The concept of Christianity does not promise the healing without medical care.
According to the Bible, God heals human pain in the ways that defy the knowledge of the
medicine. It is thus never wrong towards the praying to Jesus for healing. The bible and the
Christianity thus tells to pray together with respecting the basic humanity.
Mike’s Reaction

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
What should Mike do as a Christian?
Mike’s blind faith towards the lord has been the basis of the study concerned in this
assignment. Being moved by certain scenarios, Mike got more prudent towards the faith
healing services.
“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou [art]
my praise”. The above phrase from the Bible illustrates the condition of Mike and his faith
over the context of Christianity and the power of the Jesus. Though the Bible has never
denied for the praying for the healing of the human body, it has never denied the humans
towards taking any medical services. The streptococcus infection that has resulted in the
failure of the kidney of James needs to be reviewed and taken care of by health care
professionals (Graham, 2014). It thus the responsibility of Mike to take his son for an
immediate dialysis and further transplantation of kidney to save the life of his son.
How should Mike reason about trusting God and treating James?
Sickness and sufferings are natural disasters that affect the body of the humans. The
trust and the faith towards Jesus in the context of the religious notion of Christianity have
been long praised by the Bible in its multiple phrases (Ho et al., 2016). One of his close
friend fueled Mike’s faith over the praying towards the healing services in the church after
some of the incidents like regaining of the mobility, instances by a sermon and their pastor
and other scenarios of improvements and healing from deadly diseases. The reason by Mike
regarding the trusting of the God and treatments of the James furthermore depict the
stereotypical believe on Jesus and blind faith towards the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
There is nothing-specific written in Bible that will prevent Christian from organ
donation or accepting organ through transplant. Sickness and sufferings are natural disasters
that affect the body of the humans. The history regarding the religion of Christianity has
witnessed numerous debates regarding the concepts and the attitudes towards the issues of
health and suffering and the relevant confrontation regarding fragility and human illness. The
assignment thus illustrates the measures that should be taken by Mike irrespective of the
notion of the Christianity on health and illness.

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CASE STUDY: BIOMEDICAL ETHICS IN THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE
References
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Brown, A. E. C., & Slutzky, A. R. (2017). Refusal of treatment of childhood cancer: A
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Ho, R. T. H., Chan, C. K. P., Lo, P. H. Y., Wong, P. H., Chan, C. L. W., Leung, P. P. Y., &
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