Essay on Death and Dying Case Study

It is not unusual for the intersection of religion and medicine to present end of life dilemmas to patients. This is especially when there is a conflict between the decision options that medicine accepts and those that religion accepts. In such an emotional turmoil, the patient would be tempted to make the easier decision. However, when looking at the religious principles, the decision that appeared easy becomes difficult. Overall, irrespective of the situation, the patient would require principles on which to cling in order to make the right decisions (Beville, 2014). The present paper discusses the Christian principles that a patient would consider when face end of life health care decisions.

1. Suffering and Fallenness of the World

The Christian Worldview presents the notion of a fallen world in which every human being is considered fallen from birth. The fallenness of the world has its origins as early as just after creation when Adam and Eve disobeyed God while in the Garden of Eden. They had been given strict instructions on what they could and could not do within the confines of the garden. However, the two ended up disobeying God’s instructions. Even was convinced by the snake to rebel, and she in turn convinced Adam to rebel. They thought to hide the transgression, but God already knew what had happened. When asked why they rebelled, Adam and Eve did not take responsibility for their mistakes and instead apportioned blame to others. As punishment for their transgression, failing to take responsibility and failing to ask for forgiveness, the two were cast out of the garden and left to wonder the world. In addition, God pronounced judgement that they and all their descendants would experience suffering for as long as they lived on earth. The creation story makes it clear that Adam and Eve are the progenitors of all human beings, and since they two are fallen then all their descendants would also be fallen unless they seek salvation (Gentry & Wellum, 2018).

The creation story makes it clear that every human being on earth is fallen and should expect to experience suffering as God’s punishment meted out to the descendants of Adam and Eve. George is human and a descendant of Adam and Eve. As such, he should consider himself fallen, living in a fallen world, and expectant of suffering for as long as he lives in this world. In addition, it is important to note that apart from fulfilling God’s word that all humans would experience suffering, George should consider the experience as a test of his faith and not as a punishment because he made any mistakes. The lives of the apostles and Job show that believing in and worshiping God faithfully does not preclude an individual from experiencing suffering. Job lost everything and was afflicted with painful sores as a test of his faith. His suffering was sanctioned by God and considered a test on whether he would continue praising God in his loss and suffering even as he had been praising God when he was healthy and wealthy.  Essay on Death and Dying Case Study Job passed the test and was rewarded. George suffers from ALS, which does not have any known treatment and would result in him progressively losing his cognitive functions. He should not consider the suffering as a punishment, but as a fulfilment of God’s word since he is living in a fallen world, and also as a test of his faith as a Christian (Murphy & Stefano, 2015).

2. Suffering and the Hope of Resurrection

Suffering is part of the fallen human world. This means that sickness and death are to be expected as a fulfilment of God’s word when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. From the initial sin by Adam and Eve, every person who lives in this world, by virtue of being the descendants of Adam and Eve, were decreed by God to share in the same suffering. This implies that every person should expect sickness and death as part of the experience from living in a fallen world. While suffering is to be expected, it must be noted that it serves two important functions. The first function is to fulfil God’s word. When casting Adam and Eve out of Eden to wander the world, God decreed that Adam and Eve as well as their descendants would experience suffering that included sickness and death. God’s word is still valid for all humans in this fallen world, and all humans should expect to experience some of the suffering decreed by God. The second function is to serve as a test that tempers humans and determines who worships God in truth and deserves a life in paradise. It is not unusual for Christians to experience suffering as a test of faith. Examples abound in the Bible of Christians being tested through suffering, such as Job, Saul/Paul and the Apostles (Schreiter & Jorgensen, 2015).

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While suffering was decreed by God and serves as a test, all Christians should understand that the suffering is only transient for as long as they live in this fallen world. There is a hope of resurrection for the Christians who are considered worthy of a life in paradise. The hope of resurrection lies in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who descended from Heaven to earth, had a ministry, experienced suffering, was crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven where he awaits other Christians. Jesus resurrected after three days of death, and having defeated death, all Christians now have hope of similarly defeating death and resurrecting to live a life without suffering in paradise. The Bible clarifies this by indicating that life in this world is transient and once it is over, the Christians who are considered worthy will have an opportunity to spend eternal life in paradise. This implies that the human life experience in this world is a test to determine the persons who are worthy of being resurrected and spending eternal life in paradise without suffering. Besides that, struggling to survive in the midst of suffering is a unique experience that allows humans to appreciate God’s profoundness (Carson & Nielson, 2018).

Overall, it is important to note that suffering is not a unique experience in this fallen world and that every human should expect to experience suffering. From birth, human beings should expect suffering. Irrespective of whether an individual has sinned or led a sinless life, suffering should be expected. But in the midst of all this remains the hope of resurrecting in paradise and living an eternal life without suffering. George should understand that his suffering with ALS is a transient experience. He may suffer while in this world, but should also have hope in resurrecting in paradise to live an eternal life without ALS or any suffering.

3. Value of Life

Suffering is a significant experience that raises questions about the value of life. As George contemplates living a life with the ALS and the expected suffering from this medical condition, he also faces questions about the value of his life and whether the suffering accompanying the ALS makes his life worth living. According to the Christian perspective, the human life is priceless. That is because all humans were created in the image of God. This implies that humans are representatives of God in this world. In addition, God created humans, unlike the rest of the universe that was spoken into being. This implies that God attaches importance to humans and had to spend time in creating humans. Besides that, God forbids the termination of human life. This is affirmed in the Ten Commandments where killing is expressly forbidden, and the priceless value of human life becomes apparent. The biblical story of Job also shows the priceless value of human life. At the time, God permitted the Devil to test Job with suffering but not to take his life. Job did not contemplate death or suicide during the suffering, and continued to worship God. Taking Job as an example and with the awareness that has been presented, George should understand that human life is priceless. He should accept the ALS and suffering as a test from God, and should not contemplate death. Even as his quality of life deteriorates with possibility of death increasing, George should continue to attach much value to his life since it was given by God and the Bible expressly forbids killing. As a Christian, George should take good care of his life, seek treatment where possible, accept the ALS and suffering, and make decisions that reflect the priceless value of his life (Weikart, 2016).

4. Euthanasia

Euthanasia is a medical procedure that involves performing assisted suicide when the quality of life irreversibly deteriorates beyond acceptable levels. The procedure is typically indicated for terminal ailments that cause the cognitive abilities to deteriorate. Although euthanasia is accepted within the medical fraternity as a procedure that offers relief for patients experiencing suffering without hope of recovery, the procedure is not accepted within the Christian fraternity. That is because Christianity perceives human life as priceless and without measure. Every human life was given by God with clear instructions not to terminate human life, and euthanasia contravenes these instructions. While the medical fraternity could argue that some suffering is unwarranted, especially debilitating suffering without hope of relief or recovery, and that euthanasia would be a welcome relief in such cases, the Christian fraternity disagrees with this position. That is because suffering is part of human life on earth and was decreed for humans. Seeking death to escape from the suffering implies that God was wrong. The story of King Saul as presented in the Bible shows that euthanasia is not acceptable to Christians. When his army was routed and at the brink of being captured by enemy soldiers, King Saul ordered one of his guards to kill him. Although the guard refused to do so, another soldier proceeded with the euthanasia. King Saul opted for euthanasia because he feared by captured and subjected to suffering. The soldier who killed King Saul was eventually killed instead of being rewarded since he had committed a sin. As a descendent of Adam and Eve, George should accept the ALS and suffering without contemplating suicide as an option or strategy for escaping the suffering. In fact, euthanasia is a sin since it contravenes the commandment against killing (Beville, 2014).

5. Morally Justified Options

As a Christian, George has some options in his situation. Irrespective of whatever decision he makes, he must accept that the ALS and associated suffering are not a punishment for any of his sins, and are instead a fulfilment of God’s word and test of his faith. As such, he must continue to live with the ALS and associated suffering. This leaves him with two morally justified options in his health care decisions. The first option is to continue with his life and not see medical treatment since ALS does not have a cure. This includes accepted the suffering as part of living in this fallen world. The second option is to seek treatment for the comorbidities and to reduce some of the suffering, such as pain management. This includes accepting experimental treatments that could offer some hope of reducing the suffering and even recovery. Under no circumstance should George contemplate euthanasia or suicide as human life has immeasurable value (Beville, 2014). As a result, George can either consider continuing to suffer with the ALS without seeking treatment or seeking treatment to relieve the suffering.

6. Personal Decision

As a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ and the hope of resurrection, I would make the decision to seek treatment for the ALS. This includes seeking all available and acceptable treatments to reduce the suffering, as well as seeking experimental medication that could either slow down the ALS progression and treat the disease. Under no circumstance would I contemplate suicide or euthanasia as I hope to resurrect in paradise to enjoy eternal life without suffering. Euthanasia or committing suicide would imply that I have contravened God’s commandments, and this would result in me missing out on the hope of resurrection.

Conclusion

One must accept that suffering among human beings is a commonality in this world as it was decreed by God. In addition, one must acknowledge that the suffering is transient with Christians having the hope of resurrection to live an eternal life without suffering in paradise. Besides that, when facing end of life decisions, it is important to consider that human life is priceless so that euthanasia is not an acceptable medical option for Christians. Overall, Christians with terminal ailments who are facing end of life decisions should not consider euthanasia, and should instead accept the suffering or seek acceptable medical treatment.

Class PHI-413V

Please read the reading materials:  Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision -Making in Healthcare Chapter 4

Read the material on Euthanasia.

Please incorporate the reading materials into the essay

My Christian Worldview is that I believe in Jesus Christ and the Resurrection of Christ.  I do not believe in Euthanasia.

Please use all the classroom materials to help write this essay assignment.

This will use the case study to analyze end-of-life issues from the week’s course materials.

In 1500=2000 words

Include an abstract, introduction, thesis, and conclusion.

The practice of healthcare providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths.  This calls for knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faith expressions: For this course, the focus will be on the Christian Worldview.

Provide a 1500-2000 word ethical analysis while answering questions:

• How would George interpret his suffering considering the Christian Narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
• How would George interpret his suffering considering the Christian Narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
• As George Contemplates Life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian Worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person?
• What sort of values and considerations would the Christian Worldview focus on in deliberating about whether George should opt for Euthanasia?
• Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian Worldview for George and Why?
• Based on your Worldview what would you make if you were in George’s situation?

Case Study: End of Life Decisions

George is a successful attorney in his mid-fifties. He is also a legal scholar, holding a teaching post at the local university law school in Oregon. George is also actively involved in his teenage son’s basketball league, coaching regularly for their team. Recently, George has experienced muscle weakness and unresponsive muscle coordination. He was forced to seek medical attention after he fell and injured his hip. After an examination at the local hospital following his fall, the attending physician suspected that George may be showing early symptoms for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The week following the initial examination, further testing revealed a positive diagnosis of ALS.

ALS is progressive and gradually causes motor neuron deterioration and muscle atrophy to the point of complete muscle control loss. There is currently no cure for ALS, and the median life expectancy is between 3 and 4 years, though it is not uncommon for some to live 10 or more years. The progressive muscle atrophy and deterioration of motor neurons leads to the loss of the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe. However, sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell are not affected. Patients will be wheelchair bound and eventually need permanent ventilator support to assist with breathing.

George and his family are devastated by the diagnosis. George knows that treatment options only attempt to slow down the degeneration, but the symptoms will eventually come. He will eventually be wheelchair bound and be unable to move, eat, speak, or even breathe on his own.

In contemplating his future life with ALS, George begins to dread the prospect of losing his mobility and even speech. He imagines his life in complete dependence upon others for basic everyday functions and perceives the possibility of eventually degenerating to the point at which he is a prisoner in his own body. Would he be willing to undergo such torture, such loss of his own dignity and power? George thus begins inquiring about the possibility of voluntary euthanasia.

Essay on Death and Dying Case Study