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At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Justice, compassion needed in treating AIDS patients.

Caring for patients with AIDS presents an emotional and ethical challenge for care givers. Not only do AIDS patients have great medical needs but they also must cope with the attitudes of a society that has stigmatized them. Stigma complicates the health care decisions that must be made, since many patients with AIDS may not have a supportive family or friends to assist with care. In these situations the health care facility becomes the patient's home and health care workers become the patient's family. Care givers therefore have a unique opportunity to affirm the dignity and goodness of AIDS patients by assuring them confidentiality and treating them with compassion. When decisions about life-sustaining treatments must be made, the care giver's duty is to respect the patient's choice of treatment. Prolonging a patient's dying should not be considered an option if it is done only as a means of healing the family's grief; if patients cannot trust providers to honor their requests to discontinue treatments that become useless or inhumane, they may hesitate to seek helpful treatment. Although a voluntary approach to caring for patients with AIDS may be preferable, employees' resistance to caring for patients usually can be dispelled through education. If a mandatory approach to care is taken, the standards of participation should apply to all--including physicians, administrators, and managers.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

Prolonging life: an Orthodox Christian perspective.

While Orthodox Christianity does not find explicit statements about the morality of prolonging life in the usual doctrinal sources, the Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church, there are elements in Tradition which bear upon the issue. These include Orthodox spirituality's emphasis on the "wholeness" of the human person, its liturgical and synergistic view of human life, and its understanding of our moral ambiguity as fallen human beings in a fallen world. This last point, in particular, means that we do not usually have a clear choice between right and wrong, and that we cannot always trust ourselves to know which choice is the right, or even the better one. Therefore, we must always approach decisions about death and dying with humility and in a spirit of repentance, aware of the imperfection of all we do and trusting in the mercy of God.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1998

Physician-assisted death: doctrinal develoment vs. Christian tradition.

Physician-assisted suicide offers a moral and theological Rorschach test. Foundational commitments regarding morality and theology are disclosed by how the issue is perceived and by what moral problems it is seen to present. One of the cardinal differences disclosed is that between Western and Orthodox Christian approaches to theology in general, and the theology of dying and suicide in particular. Confrontation with the issue of suicide is likely to bring further doctrinal development in many of the Western Christian religions, so as to be able to accept physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1997

A United Methodist approach to end-of-life decisions: intentional ambiguity or ambiguous intentions.

The position of the United Methodist Church on end-of-life decisions is best described as intentional ambiguity or ambiguous intentions or both. The paper analyzes the official position of the denomination and then considers the actions of a U.M.C. bishop who served as a foreman for a trial of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. In an effort to find some common ground within an increasingly divided denomination, the work concludes with a consideration of the work of John Wesley and his approach to human death.

Advance Directives↗
PubMed1983

Modern psychotherapy and Halakhic values: an approach toward consensus in values and practice.

In this paper, I have examined in some detail a number of examples of actual and potential consensus between Jewish ethics and the practice of modern psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatry. Moreover, I have posited specific halakhic models which represent analogies to modern psychotherapeutic principles and practices, which through analogy lend specific halakhic guidelines to modern practice. The unitary halakhic approach presented here is thus both heuristic--in that it seeks to demonstrate the ways in which psychotherapeutic processes are essentially halakhic ones--as well as practical. Through this approach, psychological theory and practice have been brought into intimate contact with the ethical requirements of the halakhically committed mental health practitioner and his or her patient, filling an inexcusable void in halakhic application to modern technology, and setting a direction for future work in this area.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed2001

Bioethics for clinicians: 27. Catholic bioethics.

There is a long tradition of bioethical reasoning within the Roman Catholic faith, a tradition expressed in scripture, the writings of the Doctors of the Church, papal encyclical documents and reflections by contemporary Catholic theologians. Catholic bioethics is concerned with a broad range of issues, including social justice and the right to health care, the duty to preserve life and the limits of that duty, the ethics of human reproduction and end-of-life decisions. Fundamental to Catholic bioethics is a belief in the sanctity of life and a metaphysical conception of the person as a composite of body and soul. Although there is considerable consensus among Catholic thinkers, differences in philosophical approach have given rise to some diversity of opinion with respect to specific issues. Given the influential history of Catholic reflection on ethical matters, the number of people in Canada who profess to be Catholic, and the continuing presence of Catholic health care institutions, it is helpful for clinicians to be familiar with the central tenets of this tradition while respecting the differing perspectives of patients who identify themselves as Catholic.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Illness, the problem of evil, and the analogical structure of healing: on the difference Christianity makes in bioethics.

A Christian bioethic needs to place the medical approach to sickness, suffering, and death within the context of redemption and the renewal of humanity in the image of God. This can be done by accounting for the way in which the disruptions of the human life-world that attend the illness experience manifest the structure of the problem of evil and point toward an answer that transcends the individual and the medical community. Further, the disease-oriented approach to medicine, when understood in the context of the analogia entis, can be taken as an analogy for a deeper spiritual healing, and can thus become a vehicle through which one can minister to the disruptions of a patient's life-world. An appreciation of the analogical structure of healing provides the basis for a Christian ethic of care.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1999

The ethics of funding embryonic stem cell research: a Catholic viewpoint.

Stem cell research that requires the destruction of human embryos is incompatible with Catholic moral principles, and with any ethic that gives serious weight to the moral status of the human embryo. Moreover, because there are promising and morally acceptable alternative approaches to the repair and regeneration of human tissues, and because treatments that rely on destruction of human embryos would be morally offensive to many patients, embryonic stem cell research may play a far less significant role in medical progress than proponents believe.

Aborted Fetus↗
PubMed1992

Jewish theology and bioethics.

This article explores the theological foundations of both classical and contemporary Jewish ethics, with special reference to biomedical issues. Traditional views concerning God's revelation to Israel are shown to underlie the methodological orientation of classical Jewish ethics, which is both legalistic and particularistic. Contemporary Jewish ethicists, by contrast, have tended to embrace more liberal views of revelation which have mitigated both the legalism and the particularism of their approach. Apart from methodological considerations, much of the content of Jewish medical ethics has also been shaped by theological concerns. Specifically, a Jewish theology of creation provides basic norms and values which inform Jewish responses to a range of contemporary biomedical issues. Finally, it is suggested that the theological roots of this ethical tradition do not disqualify it from making a significant contribution to the wider discussion of biomedical issues in our secular, pluralistic society.

Bioethical Issues↗
PubMed1997

The last chapter of the book: who is the author? Christian reflections on assisted suicide.

In this paper the author argues that a narrative approach to understanding assisted suicide has been compromised by the notion that all narratives must be both coherent and unified. He asks what we are to do with those narratives that cannot seem to cohere or be other than full of disunity? Is suicide the only way to make meaning out of suffering? He then proposes that the narrative found in the Gospel of Mark leads Christians to a life in hope and compassion in spite of apparent incoherence and disunity and threats of abandonment and suffering.

Christianity↗
PubMed1985

Two views of the human person. Ethical decisions: why "exceptionless norms"?

Theoretical differences between the teachings of the U.S. bishops and many moral theologians have left Catholic medical professionals puzzled about whose advice to follow. Although three concepts have influenced the development of medical ethics--physicalism, ecclesiastical positivism, and personalism--the real source of disagreement is two different approaches to understanding the person: the objective and the subjective. Objectivists see persons as living organisms subject to natural laws and unique among animals because they can develop cultures, control the environment, and exercise critical thought. According to the subjective approach, persons are free subjects who transform the objective world into one of meaning. They find reality only in the culture and its social forms, arts, history, and theories. The objective approach identifies basic human needs that transcend cultures and it defends exceptionless moral norms; the subjective demands that the person be free to decide each situation's morality. Objectivity is preferable because it is supported by Catholic tradition, which trusts human reason to arrive at universal ethical truths, and leads to an ethics grounded in an understanding that is transcultural and objectively verifiable. In the future the Church's moral teachings on abortion, euthanasia, and other life issues will not change. They will, however incorporate subjective insights that emphasize the person's uniqueness, sociological conditioning, conscientious responsibility, and moral evolution.

Catholicism↗
PubMed1996

A communion of saints ... maybe.

Descriptively many Protestant perspectives on access to health care share much in common with secular accounts ... perhaps too much. A normative account of a Protestant perspective on access to health care must be perceptively qualified by the Christ story. A genuinely theocratic approach may not lead one to the conclusion that the faith commits us to the notion of equality; rather the faith commits us to the notion of care. What counts as care may not be the same in every instance (if this is indeed what equality means; in ordinary use, equality is tantamount to sameness). The Christ story reminds us who we are, beloved, sinful, redeemed. Acting out this story is to accept, to give, and to receive reconciliation. For many Christians this will mean that we are called to deny ourselves "equal" access to the system (as if equality actually existed!).

Christianity↗
PubMed1998

In vitro fertilisation: the ethics of illicitness? A personalist Catholic approach.

In line with Professor Brosens' work at the K.U. Leuven, the ethical integration of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was made possible in the context of personalism, what we will present here in its anthropological and theological foundations. This presentation is necessary to make clear that personalism is always in the making of the clarification of its foundations. The three basic anthropological options are then applied to the ethical integration of IVF. They will lead to three concrete criteria for clinical practice: stable heterosexual infertile couple as indication; the respect for the human embryo and the qualitative social organization of infertility treatment. This position of Catholic personalists is in contradiction with the teaching of the Church, declaring that the IVF practice is in itself illicit. The third and fourth parts of this article are devoted to this statement. First, by debating the official magisterial position, and second, by referring to probably one of the most crucial issues for the ethical debate on IVF in the Church: the moral status of the embryo.

Bioethics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New models for decision making in moral theology.

The way that the Christian tradition faces moral issues is being reshaped. Rather than focusing solely on Scripture and tradition as the basis for resolving ethical issues, decision makers should investigate human experience as well, some contemporary theologians recommend. In contrast to a traditional notion of natural law, which analyzes "human nature," the revisionist approach analyzes human experiences to discover what is authentic in them. This process looks not only at the physical structure of an act but also at its intentionality and its effect on the parties involved. Absolute material norms do not exist, according to the revisionist school. Instead one must examine an act's effects on a person's relationship to God, to others, to the physical world, and to oneself to determine whether it is morally right or wrong. Although this theological trend could be disconcerting to those who serve on ethics committees--since it does not rely on clear-cut rules--and may make decision making more difficult, its value lies in its potential to bring Christians closer to a divine understanding of reality.

Bioethical Issues↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quality of life: a focus on the patient's total good.

The quality-of-life factor used in making difficult decisions about life-sustaining treatment should refer to the patient's definition of meaningful survival. The significance of this is founded on theological convictions that respect life's value and promote its meaning according to the ability to actualize life's potential, especially through love. The appropriateness of quality-of-life criteria is entailed in the principle of beneficence: doing good for the patient. Beyond medical good, this must include each aspect of the patient's total good--autonomy, preferences, and ultimate (spiritual) good. The proportionate-disproportionate distinction exemplifies this by weighing treatment effects against patient benefits. The difficulty in applying the quality-of-life factor primarily involves who determines the criteria, as answered by one of three approaches: The "gold standard" gives priority to informed patients capable of deciding for themselves. The "silver standard" is the proxy judgment substituting for patients' previously communicated wishes. The "bronze standard" is the judgment made in patients' best interests when no wishes have been expressed. Healthcare delivery can address quality-of-life considerations using five guidelines: 1. Respect the wishes of informed patients capable of decision making. 2. Treat incompetent patients as similar patients have chosen to be treated. 3. Act to restore patients' capacity for meaningful relationships. 4. Determine if treatment yields a reasonable balance between treatment effects and patient benefits. 5. Refer doubtful treatment decisions to an institutional ethics committee.

Beneficence↗
PubMed1995

Euthanasia and the quality of life debate.

Orthodox Christian ethics is grounded in the sacredness of life principle. Yet, it can accept a quality of life approach where "quality" refers not to capacities or states, but to the relationship between the patient's condition and the quest for transcendent life goals (Walter and Shannon, 1990). The true quality of human life derives from the vocation to stewardship, which enjoins an attitude of humble acceptance toward beneficial or "redemptive" suffering. The proper response to suffering in terminal cases is not active euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide but appropriate pain management and personal care. In cases of PVS or deep coma, only the determination of higher brain death can warrant the withholding or withdrawing of food and hydration. Yet, artificial maintenance of biological existence is also immoral. Death is to be accepted and embraced as a transition to eternal life.

Attitude to Death↗