Case Study: Healing and Autonomy. Health, Medicine Essay
Please make sure you cover all the requirements for this assignment, and be explanatory when applying the christian worldview to this situation. Define introduction , body and conclusions.
Write a 1,200-1,500 word analysis of "Case Study: Healing and Autonomy." In light of the readings, be sure to address the following questions:
Under the Christian narrative and Christian vision, what sorts of issues are most pressing in this case study?
Should the physician allow Mike to continue making decisions that seem to him to be irrational and harmful to James?
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?
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?
Case Study: Healing and Autonomy
Mike and Joanne are the parents of James and Samuel, identical twins born eight years ago. James is currently suffering from acute glomerulonephritis, kidney failure. James was originally brought into the hospital for complications associated with a strep throat infection. The spread of the A streptococcus infection led to the subsequent kidney failure. James’ condition was acute enough to warrant immediate treatment. Usually cases of acute glomerulonephritis caused by strep infection tend to improve on their own, or with an antibiotic. However, James also had elevated blood pressure and enough fluid buildup that required temporary dialysis to relieve.
The attending physician suggested immediate dialysis. After some time of discussion with Joanne, Mike informs the physician that they are going to forego the dialysis and place their faith in God. Mike and Joanne had been moved by a sermon their pastor had given a week ago, and also had witnessed a close friend regain mobility when she was prayed over at a healing service after a serious stroke. They thought it more prudent to take James immediately to a faith healing service instead of putting James through multiple rounds of dialysis. Yet Mike and Joanne agreed to return to the hospital after the faith healing services later in the week, and in hopes that James would be healed by then.
Two days later the family returned, and was forced to place James on dialysis, as his condition had deteriorated. Mike felt perplexed and tormented by his decision to not treat James earlier. Had he not enough faith? Was God punishing him or James? To make matters worse, James kidneys had deteriorated such that his dialysis was now not a temporary matter, and was in need of a kidney transplant. Crushed and desperate, Mike and Joanne immediately offered to donate one of their own kidneys to James, but they were not compatible donors. Over the next few weeks, amidst daily rounds of dialysis, some of their close friends and church members also offered to donate a kidney to James. However, none of them were tissue matches.
James’ nephrologist called to schedule a private appointment with Mike and Joanne. James was stable, given the regular dialysis, but would require a kidney transplant within the year. Given the desperate situation, the nephrologist informed Mike and Joanne of a donor that was an ideal tissue match, but as of yet had not been considered—James’ brother Samuel.
Mike vacillates and struggles to decide whether he should have his other son Samuel lose a kidney, or perhaps wait for God to do a miracle this time around. Perhaps this is where the real testing of his faith will come in? “This time around, it is a matter of life and death, what could require greater faith than that?” Mike reasons.
Case Study: Healing and Autonomy
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Case Study: Healing and Autonomy
Introduction
The different social, political, cultural, economic constructs within the society form the basis for the formation of agreeable practices and way of doing things that define what is right or wrong on a range of equally diverse matters across the outlined social constructs. The combination of all the philosophies and ideologies from the different aspects of the community form what is referred to as ethics or ethical behavior in the society. In the CASE Study: Healing and Autonomy, Mike and Joan follow in the same social construct of religion by embracing the doctrines of Christianity as the guiding philosophies and ideologies on all other aspects of their lives, which include making ethical decisions. The said principles and guidelines reflect on the Christian narrative and vision as described in the biblical text and contexts. Mike and Joanne, James’s parents, are facing a dilemma as they seek to find the appropriate course of action for attending to their ailing son who has acute kidney problems. As Christians, they are strong believers in the healing power of the almighty God as witnessed on one of their friends healing recovery from a stroke upon prayers. The two decide to go for religious autonomy putting their son in grave danger. Traditionally, the Christian narrative dictates the moral conduct of believers while offering insights into how to handle or deal with such circumstances. However, the same dictates or guidelines are prone to misinterpretation or often misconstrued to have another undesired meaning as was the case with Joanne and Mike in their son’s scenario. The case study thus provides an excellent framework for the analysis of the application of Christian biblical narrative and visions in relations to the moral and ethical behavior of Christians on medical or matters of health.
The Most Pressing Issues under the Christian Narrative and Christian Vision
The various social constructs within which all human beings belong or through which individuals form their distinct identities also purpose to provide ideological guidelines and principles on people’s judgement of what is good or bad, right or wrong. Christianity is not different from the range of social constructs in the society with its Christian biblical narrative and vision acting as an effective tool for encouraging compliance with the ways of Jesus Christ on different matters affecting both the spiritual and physical lives of believers. One of the areas with which the Christian narrative and Christian vision offer its valuable input is on matters of ethics and moral responsibility of believers. The case study highlights the most pressing issue under the Christian narrative and vision as being the concern for the parents in deciding whether it is ethical to overlook the physician’s diagnosis for the healing power of God in curing their son. It is without a doubt that Mike and Joanne are strong believers in the healing power of Christ who came to relieve human beings from the bondage sin, illness, and even death. According to Roman 6: 3-4, a believer is a new-born person who walks in newness of life, which influences the likes of Mike and Joanne to maintain their faith in the healing power of God as it would seem unethical to contradict Christian Narrative and vision (Stumme, 2013).
The ethical concern could, however, be a case of misinterpretation Christian biblical narrative and vision due to desperation over the son’s situation. Christian narrative offers that though Christians should boast in salvation its fruition cannot or is yet to be fully experienced (Stumme, 2013). God never abandons human beings but rather sees them through trepidations and hence believers shou...