PHI 413 Topic 4: Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks
PHI 413 Topic 4: Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks
PHI 413 Topic 4: Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks
The work of health care providers at different levels entails encountering people from diverse faiths with particular perspectives on how to deal with health matters, especially chronic or terminal illnesses. Imperatively, nurses should possess not only knowledge but also an understanding of a diversity of faith expressions. The implication is that from the knowledge, they can offer guidance to their patients and be in a better position to handle such situations (Choudry, Latif & Warburton, 2018). The diversity of faith, as well as cultural values, interact with the contemporary Christian worldview and modern trends to impact how individuals make decisions concerning different situations in their lives. In this case study about George, nurses need to understand how to analyze the end of life situations and make effective as well as appropriate decisions based on different perspectives; for instance, a Christian worldview.
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Interpretation of George’s Suffering in Light of Christian Narrative with Emphasis on the World’s fellness
When people seek medical attention to health care issues they face, it is possible that they would lose their Christian values based on the severity of their diagnoses and potential treatment interventions. Some may reject the diagnoses outright based on the Christian faith, especially when their faiths do not advocate for such interventions. In this case study, George has discovered through his physician that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This condition gradually and progressively degenerates the ability of muscles to function optimally in the body. The disease is chronic or terminal and leads to death as it reduces like expectancy to between three and four years. George knows that in due time, he will not speak, move, or eat and even breathe because of the deterioration that his body muscle will endure in due course (Choudry et al., 2018). Unfortunately, George will know the things that will happen to him in the process of his slow death yet not in a position to discuss it with anyone. Because of this revelation, George contemplates voluntary euthanasia, yet he is a Christian and believes in the existence of God.
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Despite this belief in God, he also knows that the world has both good and evil ways and choices. Like other Christians, George needs to pray for strength and guidance from God. God is present in all situations and all the time. He surrounds believers and offers protection when they face difficult situations that are beyond their control. As a Christian, George should view God as the creator of the universe and giver of all situations (Devilliers, 2016). Imperatively, he should interpret his diagnosis from the perspective of God, trying to show his power and authority in his life. God opens his doors and blessings as well as miracles to those who are ready and have a firm belief in him in their lives. It is also important to note that all are created differently and uniquely based on their abilities and thinking. Therefore, human beings should take care of their lives and never take their life for granted. In this situation, George must be objective and cast his worries to God and follow the advice from his physician as a Christian.
George might interpret all these aspects and events as a trial of his belief and trust in God and his faith. The biblical story of Job and how he suffered is an inspiration for Christians when challenges with situations that test their faith and belief in God. George must seek God’s voice and consider his situation as temporary. Only God can intervene but based on his adherence to medication and not the contemplation of voluntary euthanasia since he has no power over his life (Choudry et al., 2018). George needs to understand that the world is full of both evil and good forces, which none can love to leave when faced with such eventualities. George should consider that even without the illness, he may have lived his full life based on God’s plan.
Interpretation Based on Christian Narrative with Emphasis on Hope of Resurrection
The hope of resurrection based on the Christian narrative arises due to Jesus’s death and subsequent rising from the dead. The basis of Christianity is the story of life and death, as well as the subsequent resurrection of Christ. Christians believe that they will also partake in the life and death of Christ and will live after their death. Further, they get new experiences after their death (Worldview, 2017). In this case, George is a Christian and believes that it is only the body that dies and the spirit. Imperatively, an individual’s life before death may dictate the destination of their souls upon their death. Christians believe that good deeds and a commitment of faith in God lead their souls to heaven. Christians believe that the dead will resurrect on the second coming of Christ. Because George is a committed Christian, he should believe that there is hope, and he shall resurrect on the second coming of Christ. George should interpret his diagnosis and the subsequent suffering that he will endure with the hope that he shall live again on the second coming of Christ. The hope is resurrecting is significant to allow him to live and endure for the time when it is expected that he will be alive.
Value of Life Based on the ALS Diagnosis for George
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a condition that affects nerve cells and makes one experience gradual degeneration of the body muscles and their ability to work effectively. The implication is that with time, George will not have the ability to execute many activities as before. In effect, his life and contribution to society based on what he does will be limited or reduced significantly. As such, he may feel that his life and contribution are valueless as he will depend on others for all activities of his life.
Despite this unfortunate situation, George should value his life as precious and sacredly given by God. No one should take their life away or of another person. In this sense, George needs to know that despite his suffering, he has a life and should endure pain as well as all experiences related to it. Christians and all human beings have the purpose of living their lives. However, it is God’s plan that determines the purpose and how people live their lives. Therefore, George should view the diagnosis of the detrimental disease as the trial on his faith because Christians believe their lives have value even when facing challenges. God’s love is greatest to all of us, and it is only Him who determines the situations that a Christian encounters because he knows they can conquer them. George needs to know that his life is still valuable as it was before the diagnosis because he has a family (EuroMed Info, 2016). Lives should never be valueless due to the hardships that we may face. George has impacted and touched many lives through his profession and other activities, which makes him more valuable.
Sorts of Values in Christian Worldview on Euthanasia
Christianity, as a religion, has expectations that its followers must adhere. On the issue of death, Christianity does not allow killing since it is a sin to take life. The fifth commandment asserts that “thou shall not kill.” Therefore, euthanasia is a form of murder or suicide, and Christians cannot take it as an option. Christians should face their sufferings because of the origin of sin as the pains and hard times are aimed at testing and strengthening our faith and providing lessons in life.
An analysis of George’s situation concerning his health from a religious, certain principle of biomedical ethics should be assessed. These include respect for autonomy, justice, non-maleficence, and beneficence. Christianity respects George’s dignity. The health concerns, as well as spiritual beliefs, must respect his decision for euthanasia as an option. However, Christianity is against euthanasia because of the principle of non-maleficence as Christians should not cause any harm to an individual. In regards to beneficence, the physician should respect and offer support to patients while adhering to their religious perspectives or wishes (Smith, 2018). On the principle of justice, George should not consider euthanasia because it violates Christian laws and beliefs that require people to live until they die naturally.
Morally Justified Options
Christians believe that all things are possible through God’s guidance. Consequently, George should take his treatment process and adhere to the guidelines from his physician. While he has a choice to either take the medication or not, it is important for him to believe in God and follow any assistance that shall be provided by the doctors. George’s condition has no cure and will lead to further deterioration of his nervous system to a point where he will not carry out his daily routines like family and professional responsibilities. Based on a Christian worldview, he should get guidance on how to endure the sufferings as preparation for his eventual demise. While he has opted for voluntary euthanasia, he needs to understand that this is unacceptable in Christianity because it is viewed as self-murder (Schweda et al., 2017). God requires people to live and die naturally. Christianity does not allow harm to self or others. George should know that death through euthanasia would be devastated and traumatizing for himself, his family, and those who know him. He should rely on his faith and family to attain support that he requires to survive the hard times.
The Decision if in George’s Situation
George’s situation is devastating and emotionally draining. The chronic illness with few years to live in a deteriorated state does not inspire anyone to make any sound and meaningful decision. George knows that his value in life would be limited and eventually become unsustainable. The implication is that he cannot support his decisions and choices. Based on these factors, I would opt for a more guided life and prepare for the diminished abilities to perform critical life functions. The decision to take medication would be the most effective over euthanasia. However, it would be influenced significantly by the support that I will attain from those close to me. Our lives revolve around families, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and the Christian community. Therefore, my worldview and decision to take medication as opposed to voluntary euthanasia would depend on the support and the advice from even the medical team and what my family thinks. If they can support the decision for euthanasia, it would be right because they may not want to witness my long-suffering. However, it is important to know that life is valuable and cannot be taken for granted. I will endure and face my God till death comes.
References
Choudry, M., Latif, A., & Warburton (2018). An overview of the spiritual importance of end-of-
life care among the five major faiths of the United Kingdom. Clinical Medicine, vol. 18, No.1, pp.23-31.
Devilliers, D. E. (2016). May Christians request medically assisted suicide and euthanasia? HTS
Theological Studies, Vol.72, No.4.
EuroMed Info. (2016). How culture influences health beliefs. Retrieved from
Schweda, M., Schicktanz, S., Raz, A., & Silvers, A. (2017). Beyond cultural stereotyping: views
on end-of-life decision making among religious and secular persons in the USA, Germany, and Israel. BMC Medical Ethics, Vol.18, No.13, pp. 1-11.
Smith, P. T. (2018). Ramsey on “Choosing Life” at the End of Life: Conceptual Analysis of
Euthanasia and Adjudicating End-of-Life Care Options. Christian bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, Volume 24, Issue 2, August 2018, Pages 151–172.
Worldview (2017). Helping you better understand the world’s cultures and belief systems.
Retrieved from http://www.worldviewu.org/
The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faith expressions; for the purpose of this course, the focus will be on the Christian worldview.
Based on “Case Study: End of Life Decisions,” the Christian worldview, and the worldview questions presented in the required topic study materials you will complete an ethical analysis of George’s situation and his decision from the perspective of the Christian worldview.
Provide a 1,500-2,000-word ethical analysis while answering the following questions:
- How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
- How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
- As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person?
- What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?
- Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?
- Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?
Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. PHI 413 Topic 4: Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks
Topic 4 DQ 1: PHI 413 Topic 4: Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks
How often do you engage with or witness death in your work? How has this experience or the lack of it shaped your view of death? Has it gotten easier or harder for you to accept the fact of death? As you explain, include your clinical specialty
I’ve witnessed many deaths, but the first was the most significant. It was an older man who had been in the hospital for a long time; he kept going in and out of consciousness, and I hoped to see him the next day when my shift ended. I’d been trained to expect death, but it’s difficult to comprehend, and I wasn’t prepared for his family’s reaction. One would think that a family would be happy when a family member died peacefully of old age; he had just turned 92 the week before, lived a happy full life in a close-knit family, had several great grandchildren, and was adored. When he died, I was standing in a room full of family members, and for a brief moment, everyone had stopped breathing along with him. Then there was a uniform, delicate, and controlled sound of grief. I quickly realized how fragile and vulnerable humans are, and I likened the old man’s body to a cracked drinking cup. He couldn’t be fixed because his body could no longer hold his soul. Following that, I witnessed people die in the ER as a result of car accidents, gunshot wounds, falls, aneurisms, and other causes, some of which were so traumatic that I had to take a yoga class to try to detach my emotions from the passage from life to death, just so I could focus on the tasks at hand.
As a labor and delivery nurse, I’ve had heartbreaking encounters with death. Surprisingly, most deaths are caused by the mother rather than the child, despite the fact that both are more common. At times, neither mother nor child left the hospital. These are the most heartbreaking deaths, in my opinion, because the entire family is gathered for something that is supposed to bring joy to all, a child who has been loved long before he or she is supposed to take the first breath. While the rest of the world is establishing guidelines for reducing maternity ward deaths, the United States has gradually fallen behind (Young, 2019). As a mother and a nurse, I found myself reading everything I could about labor problems, blood pressure, blood loss, length of delivery, and so on, because I believe that if one of us can make a difference, the rest will follow. Self-education, based on the mistakes of other hospitals, doctors, techniques, or simply something unexpected, is preferable to sitting back and ignoring the problems. Last month, I learned about a conference on maternal mortality that will be held in Denver, Colorado, in early November. I had to beg my supervisors to let me participate, and I was eventually granted permission. I’m looking forward to attending the Annual Harvey Cohen MD Maternal Morbidity & Mortality Summit. It takes a village, as someone once said. PHI 413 Tasks on Death, Dying, and Grief
I don’t think I’ll ever be completely passive when witnessing someone’s death, and I understand that the death of a stranger is easier to process than the death of a loved one, so all I can do is try to prevent an untimely death.
Young, A. (2019). Hospitals know how to protect mothers. They just aren’t doing it. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/deadly-deliveries/2018/07/26/maternal-mortality-rates-preeclampsia-postpartum-hemorrhage-safety/546889002/
Topic 4 DQ 2
Reflect on the analysis of the sin of suicide and, thus, euthanasia from the topic readings. Do you agree? Why or why not? Refer to the lecture and topic readings in your response
God gave us life, and some freedom to choose how we want to live it. Every decision we make has a consequence, and our choices should always be weighed and compared to being wrong or right. We were given a set of moral standards, very simple ones, that
should be easy to follow, yet most of us commit a type of sin, from gluttony to murder. One of the Ten Commandments specifically states: “thou not shall kill”, and it is not to be read lightly, because it doesn’t just mean that it is a sin to kill another human being, it is a sin to take our own life, to kill ourselves.Allowing doctors to assist one’s suicide could jeopardize the lives of vulnerable people, it could be incentivized by insurance companies to keep costs down, and denies equality before the law (Anderson, 2015). All these are valid points, because PAS could create chaos and leave doors open to fraud and to the badly intentioned.
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When I was a child, my parents instilled in me a strong sense of Christian values, from morning prayers and thanksgivings through prayers of forgiveness before bedtime and prayers for the sinner and those who refuse to pray. In addition, throughout the month of November, I remember praying for the souls of the departed, which seemed to go on forever as a child. When a close neighbor took his own life, I was just 12 years old and was not allowed to see him because of my age. When I learned that it was my grandmother’s wish that I spend time with a deceased relative, I was shocked. Because he was a sinner, he was unworthy of God’s grace and the life He had given him. This is a poor illustration! My grandmother interrupted me while I was uttering a prayer for my neighbor that night during my practice of identifying every deceased person I could think of. That is why he didn’t deserve any of our prayers, because we all know that we’ll never see Jesus again and we’ll all spend eternity in hell. When you’re a 12-year-old, you’re supposed to know better!
Even for us nurses, suicide is a sensitive subject with many factors to consider when confronted with this issue. Suicide and euthanasia are unethical in the sight of God, according to Gilbert Meilaender (2013), since humans are only characters in the story that God is creating. Only the author has the ability to alter the course of events for the characters. Despite this, he goes on to justify the suicides of people with mental disabilities by claiming that they were not accountable for their actions.
The fact that I’m no longer a 12-year-old child and that I’ve learned enough about life to make good decisions is a good sign. Unlike my grandma, I am able to sympathize with those who are desperate enough to want to terminate their life. I pray for them because I am not a judge and because I think that even my few prayers can make a difference in the afterlife of these “sinners.” Death, Dying, and Grief Tasks in PHI 413 Topic 4
References:
Anderson, R., (2015). Always Care, Never Kill: How Physician-Assisted Suicide Endangers the Weak, Corrupts Medicine, Compromises the Family, and Violates Human Dignity and Equality. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/health-care-reform/report/always-care-never-kill-how-physician-assisted-suicide-endangers-the-weak
Meilaender, G. (2013). In Bioethics: A primer for Christians. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/journalofchristiannursing/Citation/2007/10000/BIOETHICS_A_PRIMER_FOR_CHRISTIANS,_SECOND_EDITION.17.aspx
Course Code Class Code Assignment Title Total Points
PHI-413V PHI-413V-O500 Case Study on Death and Dying 200.0
Criteria Percentage Unsatisfactory (0.00%) Less than Satisfactory (65.00%) Satisfactory (75.00%) Good (85.00%) Excellent (100.00%)
Content 70.0%
Suffering and Fallenness of the World 12.0% Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the fallenness of the world is insufficient or not supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the fallenness of the world is unclear or vaguely supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the fallenness of the world is clear and supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the fallenness of the world is clear and skillfully supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the fallenness of the world is clear and demonstrates a deep understanding that is skillfully supported by topic study materials.
Suffering and the Hope of Resurrection 12.0% Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the hope of resurrection is insufficient or not supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the hope of resurrection is unclear or vaguely supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the hope of resurrection is clear and supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the hope of resurrection is clear and skillfully supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the man would interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative and the hope of resurrection is clear and demonstrates a deep understanding that is skillfully supported by topic study materials.
Value of Life 12.0% Analysis of how the Christian worldview of the man might inform his view about the value of his life as a person with ALS is insufficient or not supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the Christian worldview of the man might inform his view about the value of his life as a person with ALS is unclear or vaguely supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the Christian worldview of the man might inform his view about the value of his life as a person with ALS is clear and supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the Christian worldview of the man might inform his view about the value of his life as a person with ALS is clear and skillfully supported by topic study materials. Analysis of how the Christian worldview of the man might inform his view about the value of his life as a person with ALS is clear and demonstrates a deep understanding that is skillfully supported by topic study materials.
Euthanasia 12.0% Evaluation of which values and considerations the Christian worldview focuses on when deliberating the option of euthanasia for the man is insufficient or not supported by topic study materials. Evaluation of which values and considerations the Christian worldview focuses on when deliberating the option of euthanasia for the man is unclear or vaguely supported by topic study materials. Evaluation of which values and considerations the Christian worldview focuses on when deliberating the option of euthanasia for the man is clear and supported by topic study materials. Evaluation of which values and considerations the Christian worldview focuses on when deliberating the option of euthanasia for the man is clear and skillfully supported by topic study materials. Evaluation of which values and considerations the Christian worldview focuses on when deliberating the option of euthanasia for the man is clear and demonstrates a deep understanding that is skillfully supported by topic study materials.
Morally Justified Options 12.0% Evaluation of which options would be justified in the Christian worldview for the man is insufficient or not supp