PHI 413 Because everyone’s life is deemed valuable to God, the choice of suicide or euthanasia contradicts this and is therefore considered sin. 

 PHI 413 Because everyone’s life is deemed valuable to God, the choice of suicide or euthanasia contradicts this and is therefore considered sin. 

First, I believe it’s best to identify the ethical morals that have the possibility of being infringed upon to better understand the dilemmas we may face. Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice all provide the foundation for ethical dilemmas. Dr. Keith Evans demonstrated their backing in scripture by providing various verses that support each principle (2022). If we, as healthcare providers, can properly assess spiritual needs ahead of time, for instance during the admission process, we can hopefully prevent or delay some dilemmas from occurring. An example that Dr. Evans provided in this week’s text that I agreed was a great example was the refusal of blood products by Jehovah’s Witnesses (2022). This only proves to be a dilemma if there is an urgent need for blood products and a refusal from the patient to receive said products. In other words, if we are ill-prepared for these dilemmas, they become dilemmas, if we are aware there may be obstacles in our ideal proposed treatment plan, ahead of time, we can adjust accordingly. If we allow ourselves time to adjust through proper assessment, we are better able to accommodate our patients’ worldviews/beliefs. There are, almost always, alternative treatments for disease processes. For example, based on the Jehovah’s Witness example, intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) and postoperative cell salvage (PCS) are adjunct therapies if a patient refuses blood product (JPAC, 2024). Assessing the spiritual and religious needs of our patients allows us to develop alternative treatment plans if we need to. This is the best way to provide support and respect a person’s worldview and this is the care I would want as well.

Evans, K. A., (2022). Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care, 5: Ethical Decision-Making, and Spiritual Care. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/1000000000591/epub/Chapter5.html#page_274

Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC), (2024). https://www.transfusionguidelines.org/transfusion-handbook/6-alternatives-and-adjuncts-to-blood-transfusion#:~:text=ICS%20and%20PCS%20are%20usually,in%20obstetric%20and%20gastrointestinal%20haemorrhage.