The practice of health care 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 the purpose of this course, the focus will be on the Christian worldview. Case Study on Death and Dying Essay Example

Based on “Case Study: End of Life Decisions,” the Christian worldview, and the worldview questions presented in the required topic Resources you will complete an ethical analysis of George’s situation and his decision from the perspective of the Christian worldview.

How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
How would George interpret his suffering in light of 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 sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not 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 decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?

Include this reference
Hoehner, P. J. (2020). Biomedical ethics in the Christian narrative. In Grand Canyon University (Ed)., Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care

Case Study on Death and Dying: The Case of George with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS

The truth of medical failure frequently causes ethical quandaries for healthcare professionals. In the presence of a depressing outlook, the terminally ill patient, their family, and the health professionals must all make tough choices. Typically, the debate is whether it is better to let the terminally ill patient die with decency or to keep them suffering in the expectation that they would recover from whatever measures are used. There are two possible approaches. One is that, regardless of the situation, the bioethical principle of nonmaleficence requires physicians and nurses to refrain from undertaking actions that would be damaging or destructive to the patient. It is based on the idea that healthcare providers are expected to save lives instead of taking them (Hoehner, 2020; Karnik & Kanekar, 2016). The other concern is in the framework of the Christian Worldview, which argues that God is both the giver and taker of life (Summit Ministries, 2019). Life, according to Christian religions, starts at conception. As a result, just as it is illegal to perform abortions before birth, it is also illegal to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) by acts such as euthanasia. The purpose of this paper is to talk about an end of life ethical decision from a Christian Worldview standpoint.

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The Case of George with ALS

The situation of George is a textbook example in terms of ethical quandaries in end-of-life scenarios. He has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), for which there is no curative therapy. The doctors are aware and have advised him and his family that his health and quality of life would deteriorate over time. He will eventually lose the capacity to ingest, talk, and even inhale on his own. In other sense, he will need assistance with daily activities of living (ADLs) and possibly mechanical ventilation for breathing very soon. All of this, however, will have no effect on his recovery. According to Simmons (2018), a terminally ill patient may request for MAiD or physician-assisted suicide (PAS). This is what George has opted for in the exercise of his autonomy, before he becomes dependent on machines even for breathing.  Case Study on Death and Dying Essay Example

George’s Analysis of His Misery: Christian Narrative Standpoint and Fallenness of the World

The fallenness of the world is a point of view that explains the moral evil that exists in the world. It also covers negative events that cause people to become unwell or kill them (Dickinson, 2019). In more concrete terms, moral evil refers to the horrors that humanity inflicts on one another. All types of premeditated murder are included as examples. Humans are also killed by disasters such as hurricanes, plane catastrophes, and car accidents. Finally, the fallenness of the world includes diseases affecting humans but for which no medicines are accessible, such as ALS. According to the Christian narrative, living in a fallen world causes some people to doubt God’s existence. The reasoning is that if a god existed, he would not have allowed humankind to die or suffer.

From a Christian standpoint, George would’ve been supposed to view his misery as God-ordained fate. He would be forced to be brave in the face of hardship and anguish since everything he is going through is God’s intention. His belief would be reinforced by examples from the Holy Bible, such as the one about Job, whom God purposefully let to languish in order to put his faith to the test. Job had lost it all and had paid a heavy price. However, God subsequently compensated him considerably more, and he won a place in the context of everlasting life. He understands from Job’s story that God would occasionally purposefully enable Satan to put you through terrible pain. That does not, however, imply that God no longer loves you or that he has abandoned you. Nevertheless, based on the diagnosis and outlook, he will keep suffering and end up dying.

Because of the foregoing, he has considered dying in dignity without succumbing to powerlessness. But, as a Christian, he understands that he has no power to terminate his own life. This is where the actual ethical quandary arises. The bioethical principle of autonomy allows him to make this MAiD choice, whereas the Christian story forbids him from doing so because only God has the right to grant but also terminate the life of any human.

George’s Analysis of His Misery: Christian Narrative Standpoint and Hope of Resurrection

All Christians who live a decent life and shun evil are offered the hope of resurrection and consequent everlasting life. It is based on the religious texts, which declare that Jesus died on the cross, then arose shortly afterward. Afterwards, he went to heaven to reign with God his Father eternally. All Christians are required to lead a life of belief and holiness, and when they perish, they will be raised on the day the universe as we know it will vanish. According to the Bible, Jesus will return on that day to gather the faithful after their revival and take them to paradise. As a result, George will perceive his pain from the Christian standpoint in that it is only transitory. On the last day, God will revive him, and Jesus will take him to paradise with the rest of the believers. This manner, he will be able to handle the pain since his religion assures him that it is merely a passing thing.

How the Christian Worldview Informs Position on the Value of Life as a Person

Being a Christian, George understands the worth of his existence as a human. He understands that God places everything in this world for a reason. He may consider himself to have accomplished his mission in life, as per him. He is a renowned attorney who has served many people with integrity in the past. This fact should gratify him because he would have performed God’s task by safeguarding his children from injustices. However, George would be cognizant of God’s desire for the integrity of the family as a cohesive unit. This is also why he managed his son’s squad, which comprised youngsters he did not even know. All of this indicates that George understood the worth of his existence as a human. As a result, it must not be assumed that he now wishes to end his life since he does not cherish his existence as an individual. Case Study on Death and Dying Essay Example

Following the ALS discovery and the terrible prognosis, George is now confronted with the tough issue of reconciling his Christian belief and faith in the importance of his life against the truth of clinical hopelessness. If he had not been a devout Christian, he would be required to forsake God and doubt his confidence in him for abandoning him in this circumstance. At this point, he might rethink the worth of his existence. But George is not like that. He merely wants to die with dignity because he has already accepted that dying is unavoidable and that it is God’s decision.

Regardless of his deep faith, it cannot be disputed that his belief has been challenged. That explains why he might think of MAiD. The inference is that he has abandoned all confidence in living and no longer believes that the worth of his existence as a human counts. As per his judgment, there is no purpose for him to live any longer. This would just cause anguish and strain their family, who will continue be in mourning once he goes. The only consolation for this patient comes from the Christian Worldview texts that declare that God will not abandon his people. He will not do so, even if he enables the Satan to try them. As a result, he will see him through his misery and recompense him when he ultimately arrives in paradise following his rebirth to live an immortal existence.

The Option of Euthanasia: Focus On Values and Considerations by the Christian Worldview

Deaths with Dignity Acts or DWDAs are legislative policies or laws that are only applicable in a few jurisdictions. This law allows a physician to lawfully help a terminally ill patient to end their life if the patient requests it. This should be undertaken in light of the fact that clinically nothing can be done for the patient. District of Columbia and Washington are two states that have this statute. If the person is still conscious, the request for MAiD or PAS can be made by the person, but it can also be submitted by a close relative with medical power of attorney (MPOA) if the individual has already been comatose. As nurses we do not take an active role in the physician assisted suicide procedure, but do provide spiritual and psychological assistance to patients (Pesut et al., 2019; Simmons, 2018; Buckley, 2018). While MAiD is backed by the ethical concept of autonomy in these situations, the Christian Worldview must nevertheless focus on the specific values and concerns when it comes to assisted suicide.

Some of these considerations are that continuing to wait for their eventual death would cause the individual more misery and suffering; the person made the choice on their own without involvement from anyone else, which would include family members; and the patient is a Christian who acknowledges that his ongoing living without the capacity to care for himself or even take a breath on his own will end up doing more harm to many people in their direct circle. Case Study on Death and Dying Essay Example

Morally Justified Option for George in the Christian Worldview

In the Christian Worldview, the moral reason for George is that ALS has no treatment and George will just endure too much before eventually succumbing. It is also aware that the Christian discourse condemns the destruction of human existence (Sulmasy et al., 2016). Nevertheless, given the overall burden of ALS on George and his relatives, it would be more palatable if he permitted himself to die with dignity now instead of later, when he will be on ventilator support. In either case, somebody would have to pull him off ventilator support, which is still considered assisted dying. If I were George, I would still choose euthanasia while I am still conscious.

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Conclusion

In end of life situations, medical and nursing personnel are often faced with ethical dilemmas when medical futility becomes a reality. Terminally ill patients suffer a lot and the decision has to be made whether this prolonged suffering is good for them or not with inevitable impending death. Several states in the US have DWD Acts such as Oregon. This allows the patient to request for assisted dying to save them from unnecessary suffering. This has been the situation of George in the above case study on ALS.

References

Buckley, (2018). Physician assisted suicide: An end of life care option that should be available to all dying patients. Law School Student Scholarship, 943. https://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1948&context=student_scholarship

Dickinson, T. (May 27, 2019). Christianity’s extraordinary solution to believing in God in a world of evil and pain. The STREAM. https://stream.org/christianitys-extraordinary-solution-to-believing-in-god-in-a-world-of-evil-and-pain/

Hoehner, P.J. (2020). Biomedical ethics in the Christian narrative. In Grand Canyon University (Ed)., Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care.

Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (2016). Ethical issues surrounding end-of-life care: A narrative review. Healthcare, 4(2), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare4020024

Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Greig, M., Fulton, A., Janke, R., & Vis-Dunbar, M. (2019). Ethical, policy, and practice implications of nursesʼ experiences with assisted death. Advances in Nursing Science, 42(3), 216–230. https://doi.org/10.1097/ans.0000000000000276

Simmons, K.M. (2018). Suicide and death with dignity. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 5(2), 436-439. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsy008

Sulmasy, D.P., Travaline, J.M., Mitchell, L.A., & Ely, E.W., (2016). Non-faith-based arguments against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The Linacre Quarterly, 83(3), 246-257. https://doi.org/10.1080/00243639.2016.1201375

Summit Ministries (2019). Christian worldview. https://www.summit.org/christian-worldview/

Case Study on Death and Dying Essay Example