Healing and Anatomy

“Healing and Anatomy” is a prime example of two distinct youngsters who live in conflicting views while resolutely upholding society’s morals. The parents of Mike and Joanne adhere to the Christian Biblical Narrative that directs their actions, yet despite the unforgiving ideals and teachings expected of them, they find themselves smuggling drugs to pay for their son’s medical expenses. Mike and Joanne are devout Christians with a solid church family at home. Unfortunately, they are the only ones who can make decisions for the eight-year-old boy. James’s parents are now faced with a choice between trusting the doctor to save their child’s life and faith that the Almighty Creator would heal their son. Empirically, that what is the topic portrays.

Primarily, the religious autonomy built at the inception of type a streptococcus infection that brought James down leading to kidney failure. Being true Christians, they had two options, allows a physician to carry out kidney dialysis to James or believe in the natural healing from the life giver. Instead, the parents opted to follow their faith either because the medical expenses were unaffordable or because they did not want to betray their God. Nevertheless, the case study does not explain whether doctor bothered to inquire about religious autonomy. Seemingly, the physician remained tongue-tied following the unmentioned moves by James’s parents to try the healing power. Two days later, the parents knocked back at the doctor door after the condition of James worsened.

There was inward struggle with the faiths for failing to cure their son in time. Only a strong Christian would have understood the complaints. The parents believed that the disease was a punishment for them. Another tempting religious situation was the cost of the operations and the only option of a kidney transplant that would be taken from his twin brother Samuel. The father landed in the dilemma of placing Samuel’s life too at risk by taking away one kidney or continues hoping for the miracle to cure James.

With the consideration of the moral and ethical issues involved in the case study, three most important principles become known. The first one is the Beneficence principle that allows the doctors to exclude the patient from a dangerous condition, examine and reports all the risks and benefits to the guardians. The principle as well allows the physician to explain the alternative approaches to handling the infections to the parents. However, the parents would make the decision after consideration of all factors surrounding the issue. Back to the study, beneficence principle was effectively conducted since the parents did not take the right option after the suggestion from the doctor. Ideally, the physician was patient and honored their religious autonomy without questions.

Secondly, the Biomedical Ethics and The Christian Narrative states that principle of autonomy as the respect needed during the decision-making process involving independent parties. The above policy allows the physician to work with the instruction from the parents of James. He would not prevent James’ parents from putting James’ life in the hands of healing God and proceed with faith. Unfortunately, that decision led to the worsening of James’ condition. On the contrary, it would have been the physician’s duty to treat the patient as per the views of the parents and bare the life responsibilities.

Regarding the deterioration, in the patient’s health situation the third principle should take action. Nonmaleficence principles require that no single individual should cause harm to the other. The principle was very crucial such that James’ parents would have been taught the rule of Nonmaleficence before the deterioration of James’ health status. Intellectually, the maximum demand for an adequate education regarding the risks and losses likely to be caused by choosing each of the healthcare options. In this case, Mike and Joanne would be required to moderate on the religious and medicine requirements.

It would be well if both the physician and James’ parents cooperated during the initial decision stages to improve the health condition of James. I would blame the doctor for not bothering to find out from the parents why they opted to leave after he explained his suggestions. Their cooperation and unity in thinking would have brought a lot of sanity by measuring just enough doses for spiritual beliefs and medical needs for the betterment of the family. To the family, they needed to understand the fact that medicine is taken through the authority of Jesus Christ and the call of God to serve his healing purposes. According to the articles of Shelly and Miller (2006), they developed a nursing worldview to all Christian saying that they are “Called to Care.” This does not imply that Gods do not work during operation. He is indeed the ultimate healer.

As a real Christian, ”Living in God’s true story’ learning how he works out his purposes’ trusting when we cannot see him working: these all enables nurses to live in hopes. We want to bear this hope patient and colleagues (Eph 1:20-23). ”We do not need to merely ‘hope in hope.’ We know the God of hope who fills us with peace and joy in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:13).”

Following the current James health status of kidney failure that requires his twin brother Samuel losing one kidney, there are two moral and ethical issues that we face involved? First, the safety of both children depends on the lifespan given by God Almighty. No one can shorten or elongate it. Therefore, in Christian view the parents needed an enduring hearts believing that both the sons will be okay with a single kidney. The Creator would take control of the organ transplantation process in an unharmed way. Similarly, Mike and James should not take the illness as God’s punishment to any of them. A strong Christian needs to stand by his Gods even when the temptations knock. We can look at the life of Job, the kind of temptation Satan sent to him to worship him. In fact, Mike had backslid and fell short of God’s grace by giving Satan chance during temptations.

I myself while struggling to handle this case study. I try to give my views as an honest Christian in the situation at the time. Objectively, it would not be understandable to believe that a medical practitioner carelessly accepted that James’ parents take him away with faith. It is common that such cases are commonly held at the hospital. Suppose that the religious opinions outweighed the medical needs, and then the child would have been placed in a hospital bed awaiting healing spirits to come.

It is painful to keep such doctor in healthcare where ignorant poor people come to seek for treatment. My anger rages by the degree of mediocrity of the parties involved including Joanne, a woman who suffered labor pain. However, I understand that the autonomy of the patients needs to be considered, but the case study mostly dwells on the innocent James not barbaric Mike and Joanne.

Conclusion

In summary, the Healing and Anatomy case study gives a suitable insight in making balanced decisions regarding life. A physician practicing nursing has guide and rules that help her serve patients in a more dignified manner without tampering negatively with their social lives. For instance, the three nursing Biomedical principles; autonomy, beneficence, and Nonmaleficence helps guide and protects their action during duty. The Biblical Narrative, on the other hand, possesses restrictions to faith but not limited to taking drugs. A careful analysis of the above case study points out the mistake from the physician side. Apart from the principle that barred him from imposing harm to the patient, he leaves a dialectic patient to move out of dialectic monitoring. Secondly, he failed to provide the required information to persuade Mike and Joanne to accept the transplantation process. As earlier mentioned above, Shelly and Miller (2006), developed a nursing worldview to all Christian saying that they are ”Called to Care.” This does not imply that Gods do not work during operation. He is indeed the ultimate healer. The option of service come first, suppose the family believed enough in the healing from spiritual intervention they would not have come for diagnosis in the hospital.

References

Grand Canyon University. (2015). Biomedical Ethics in The Christian Narrative. Meilaender, G.

(2013). Bioethics: A primer for Christians. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans.

Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing (2nded.).

Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN-13: 9780830827657