Discussion Post: Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative
Bioethics is defined as an area of study in ethics of medicine and the ethical issues involving life sciences (Grand Canyon University, 2018). Principalism of ethical decision making is referred to as the four principal approach because of the view that there are four ethical principles that make up bioethics in most health care settings (Reilly, n.d.). The four principles include:
• Respect for autonomy: This principle requires respect for the decision making of competent individual person
• Nonmaleficence: A principle that requires people to not cause harm to others
• Beneficence: Principles that require people to prevent harm, provide benefits and balance benefits against risks
• Justice: Principles that require fair distribution of benefits, risks and costs.
The idea behind these principles is that each case should be taken into account with details, factors and circumstances and these principles should be applied (Reilly, n.d.). In order to determine how which of the four principles should be weighted in a particular case, an individual needs to decide which of the four principles deserves the most priority in any given case especially regarding cases that are complex and have conflicts between principles (Reilly, n.d.).
In Christianity, there is a God who exits and has created the world with moral structure and purpose. What is truly right and wrong is a reflection of the character of God in the context of the Bible (Reilly, n.d). Principles come in the form of the divine commands and to be transformed into his image of Jesus Christ thus, thought to embody the virtues and character of Jesus himself (Reilly, n.d.). As a Christian, my view of health and health care will stem from the narrative of God's purposes. The most important command from the Bible is to love God and the second is love your neighbor. In the Christian view, the problem with principlism is the lack of any inherent moral weight, and the four principles represent a consensus opinion because it is consistent with a majority of ethical theories (Reilly, n.d.).
The four principles, especially in the context of bioethics in the United States, has often been critiqued for raising the principle of autonomy to the highest place, such that it trumps all other principles or values. How would you rank the importance of each of the four principles? How do you believe they would be ordered in the context of the Christian biblical narrative? Refer to the topic study materials in your response.
The response must include a reference list. Using one-inch margins, double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.