Foregoing Curative Medical Treatment Due to Religious Beliefs

Foregoing curative medicine due to religious beliefs
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Abstract
In the history of human beings, there have been different approaches by people whenever they get sick. In the recent times curative medicine has been adopted widely in curing different ailments. However, there have been waves of people foregoing curative medicine out of their religious beliefs. This is whereby; some religions stipulate that the adherents should not take curative medicine because the deity which they base their faith in, is able to cure all forms of diseases. This paper analyses this aspect of people foregoing medical intervention in addressing their ailments in the view of its history in different perspectives such as; legal, ethical and moral.
Legal perspective history
The governments of different states in the world over have always tried to streamline the channels of medical provision. As Arua (2014) found out; these struggles are always in a bid to ensure that the citizens receive the necessary medical care whenever they need it. In the long run, this ensures a healthy nation which can participate in nation building, which is the core aim of any given government. The governments put all measures to ensure that the best health care service that they can offer is offered to the citizens. However, some religious beliefs have been against the curative medical intervention.
Such religious beliefs discourage the adherents from seeking medical assistance whenever they are sick. They belief that the deity they worship is capable of healing them from all forms of diseases. Adams, Kaewkungwal, Limphattharacharoen et al (2014) state that; some religious beliefs hold it that the supreme power that they base their faith on would not want them to seek for alternative means of getting cure because, the deity is capable of healing them. Therefore, seeking alternative ways of cure is like not having enough faith that the Supreme Being is capable of healing them. Therefore, whenever they are sick, they should seek for healing from God and from him only.
Arua (2014) discloses that; governments have had legal systems of addressing these kinds of deviation from what the government stipulates of its citizens. These systems emanate from the view that the governments would want the all its citizens to receive curative medicine whenever they are sick so that they get back to their normal health and continue with the duty of building the nation. The governments come to realize that some of their citizens are not taking curative medicine due to their faith orientations.
It is worse when it comes to children. Adams, Kaewkungwal, Limphattharacharoen et al (2014) note that; Some parents, on basis of their religious beliefs, do not take their children to hospital. They believe that the Supreme Being that they worship is capable of healing them. They should therefore not compromise his majesty being seeking alternative means of cure when they are sick. They believe that they should wait upon the deity to heal their children.
When it comes to vaccinations, the parents with such faith orientations will not allow their children to be vaccinated. They believe that the Supreme Being will defend them from any kind of disease. Even when the children are already suffering from the disease being vaccinated, such parents will not allow them to be vaccinated.
This is taken as illegal in countries that have stipulated legal provisions regarding curative medicine. Such governments have it that any citizen is required to seek medical attention whenever they are ailing so that their health can be restored for them to participate well in the activities of nation building. Such governments consider it a criminal offence when one does not seek such medical help regardless of the base of the decline. Berg, Crowe, Budke et al (2013) disclose that; On these bases the, such governments have stipulated the kind of punishment that is applicable to any citizen who does not seek curative medicine when it is clear they should. It is also punishable for those people who prevent one from getting such curative medicine when they are in need. In this perspective, the parents of the children whom they refuse to be immunized are bound to get legal punishment.
Such governments have been forced to use the police officers in order to have some people get the medical care they require by force. As Bibel (2015) found out; such police officers have also been used by governments to be able to vaccinate the children of the parents aligned to faiths that do not allow seeking curative medicine. There have also been cases of people aligned in courts of law for failing to seek medical help on basis of their faith. Such people may end up being jailed for months or even years. Others get fined huge sums of money. Surprisingly, such people concede to paying the heavy fines or serving the jail terms. To them, it deems better than to contradict the demands of their faith. Some parents have also conceded to being jailed and leaving their children unattended, rather than allowing them to receive curative medicine which would be contradictory to their faith.
Ethical perspective
The ethical perspective of this issue of foregoing curative medicine due to religious beliefs touches mostly on the health care providers. This view emanates from the realization that, faith and religious beliefs are important in human life just like is medical care. The problem comes in when ones faith does not allow merging of the two. Berg, Crowe, Budke et al (2013) observe that; this being an ethical issue, medical practitioners has been lost in deciding which perspective to give more priority when faced with such patients. Sometimes they may not know how to handle such a religious belief.
In the past, medical practitioners were only trained on how to diagnose and treat various diseases. No much concern was given on handling the ethical issues touching on religious beliefs. But during those times, the religious sects aligned to decline medical attention to the adherents were not as pronounced as today. Berg, Crowe, Budke et al (2013) note that; these religious orientations have been there since time immemorial, but they were not as pronounced and wide spread as today. The religions with this kind of orientation have spread all over the world. Even eve the adherents are few in a certain country, the government must care because, as it is always said, one life is worthy too many.
Professional ethics stipulate that it is wrong for health care providers to impose their faiths in the patients. This aspect emanates from the understanding that most of the times the patients are very much vulnerable when they are ill. It is therefore very easy for their wills and wishes to be contradicted if one does not observe the ethical rules. Such inconsideration will lead the patient to regret later and can subject them to more sickness.
Berg, Crowe, Budke et al (2013) observe that; there is always a wide range of religious beliefs in any given country. This calls for respect of the different beliefs so as to ensure smooth coexistence. No one should take the advantage of his professional position so as to impinge their faiths on the other people who may require their professional help. In this case, if a patient goes to hospital only in need of advice on, say the best foods to feed on, then the healthcare personnel should provide just that. It would be ethically wrong to force the patient to take curative medicine if their faith does not permit them. The healthcare provider should just give the professional advice on the asked question. If at all the physician thinks that the patient requires the medical intervention badly they should only advise so, and not force the patient. If they care further, all they can do is to report the case to the government security officers who can then act on the matter in legal terms.
Stewart, William, Michelle et al (2013) maintain that; the medical practitioners should exercise a lot of caution when approaching these kinds of ethical issues. This is because, there are myriads of religious beliefs and faiths and the health care providers cannot be expected to understand them all. What they can do is to deal with every case as an individual case and not generalize everything. The bottom line is that, the ethical requirements should always be considered in order to avoid compromising ones professionalism.
This view does not in any way suggest that the physicians should avoid religious co...