Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative

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Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative

1.Under the Christian narrative and Christian vision, what sorts of issues are most pressing in this case study?

From this narrative, there are some issues that are pressing to the parents, and to the children. One of the issues is the health of the child. This issue would be pressing even if the couple was not Christian. The main reason this is considered a pressing issue is that this child has multiple complications. The parents are worried and want to see that their child gets better. From the case study, it is clear that they love their child and would only want the best for him. Another reason why the issue is pressing is because one of the complications has led to another. In this case, the spread of streptococcus infection led to kidney failure. The child needs urgent care for both of these issues, as both would only get worse without the required medical care.

From a Christian perspective, the faith of the parents, and in particular Mike, is also pressing. It is clear that this faith could either be a hindrance to treatment or could produce positive results (Meilaender, 2013). Mike makes it clear that his belief in God shapes his world view and that it affects the decisions he makes medically. However, some of these decisions are not very good. One pressing issue that comes with his thought process is the debate on whether or not he should let his other son lose a kidney, or it would be better to have faith in God and see whether the results will be positive. He also sees the condition that his son is going through as a means through which God is testing his faith. He does not know which way to act regarding the thoughts of being a test from God. Initially, he stays with the sick child and forgoes a dialysis in favor of faith based treatments
2.Should the physician allow Mike to continue making decisions that seem to him to be irrational and harmful to James?

From the readings, it is clear that as much as consent should always be respected, people should be informed, and they should try to make the best decisions especially when it is in regards to the health of other people (Meilaender, 2013). James, the sick child, is not in a position to make informed decisions. The decisions have to be made by Joanne, Mike and the Physician. Mike has so far made decisions made on his faith and they are somewhat harmful to the course of treatment for James. The physician has an obligation to make Mike aware of the harm that his decisions may cause to their child.

In this case, the physician is more skilled that both parents that are available. In addition, he, alongside other members  in the hospital, will be directly dealing with James during any of the medical procedures. As much as they should respect the views of the parents, they also have the right to make sure that the parents know what is best. For this reason, the physician should not let Mike keep making potentially dangerous decisions (Meilaender, 2013). The main reason is that so far, the physician has established the fact that Mike wants the best for his son, only that he does not know how to approach the best situation. In addition, delays in taking action could make it worse for James, and they could also make the financial situation for this family worse. There is a possibility of death if James s not acted on in time. The physician should point these out to James and make sure that he understands the consequences of his decisions. He should also try to reason with him from a faith based perspective. However, the final decision should be left to Mike 
3.According to the Christian narrative and the discussion of the issues of treatment refusal, patient autonomy, and organ donation in the topic readings, how might one analyze this case?

This case is multi-faceted. On the issue of treatment refusal, it is clear that not all treatment refusal is an act of suicide. However, in some cases, patients who deliberately refuse treatment can be seen as making irrational decisions. There are usually exceptions to patient consent when offering treatment. An example is in the case of an emergency, or in the case of a patient who is too young as presented here. In these scenarios, the decisions have to be made by another person and the people who are considered legible are the parents and the physicians. In this case, the decision is left to the parents, but they have to take advice from their physician so as to avoid dangers (Meilaender, 2013). This is in regard to patient autonomy and treatment refusal. Regarding organ donation, it is clear that the best donor for a kidney would be James’s brother since they are identical twins. However, he too is too young to make the decision on his own. He is also too young for the people to decide whether taking a kidney would have effects on his health much later in the future. Mike relies on his faith for some of these decisions, however, in this case, the best one would be to avoid taking an organ from the young son as the future may be uncertain. Regardless, he should follow through with the rest of the advice from the doctor regarding the welfare of James and his treatment. This way, he is able to respect the autonomy of his sons while making the best medical decisions for them, even though they are young (Shelly & Miller, 2009).
4.According to the topic readings and lecture, how ought the Christian think about sickness and health? What should Mike as a Christian do? How should he reason about trusting God and treating James?

According to the readings, a Christian should think about God during times of sickness and health. One aspect that has been highlighted in the readings is the fact that a Christian should remain open to all the possibilities regarding treatment, as many of them are a reflection of the path of God. In addition, they should try to exploit Nature during treatment and health. Nature in this case refers to most of the things that are available to people (Shelly & Miller, 2009). They should be open and listen to the opinions of experts as they often have more knowledge regarding some issues than the patients themselves.

Mike, as a Christian should use both the doctor’s advice and help and his faith as they are not contradictory to each other. However, he should not jeopardize the health of his other son. This means that if one of his sons needs a donation, the best thing to do would be to wait upon those that might be provided by the hospital from other donors. In addition, the fact that he sees this as a test of faith should not cloud his judgment of the medical procedures involved. In this case, he should not delay the dialysis procedure as it has the potential to save the life of his child, and also because the earlier it is performed, the more easily other necessary treatments will be carried out.

References

Meilaender, B. (2013) Bioethics: A Premier for Christians Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Shelly, J. A. & Miller, B. A. (2009) Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing. InterVarsity Press