REL 301 Topics in Religion: Religion and Medical Ethics
Ashland University
Course Description :
This course examines the debates surrounding health and health care in the modern era. Particular attention will be paid to the way in which these debates have been shaped by, and understood within, the Christian tradition. Using concepts, principles, stories, and symbols drawn from Christianity (as well as secular philosophy) we will consider some of the following issues: privacy, confidentiality, the nature of sickness and health, reproductive technology, euthanasia, voluntary termination of life-sustaining treatment, organ transplantation, artificial reproductive technologies, the allocation of health care resources, and genetic engineering/therapy.
Prerequisites : None. However, some exposure to Christian theology and/or the Bible is useful.
Course Objectives:
• Through lectures and readings, students will acquire the knowledge and skills to discuss the issues and arguments surrounding the major problems in the field of medicine.
• Through careful reading, classroom discussion, and writing exercises, students will learn to recognize the modes of argumentation, the sources appealed to, and the method of approach of writings in the field of biomedical ethics.
• To explain how the major doctrines and narratives of the Christian tradition have shaped the issues and impacted the stance of various Christian thinkers in medicine.
1. Two Analysis Papers. See Paper Guidelines 40%
2. Ethics Journal 10%
3. Mid-term and Final Exam. 40%
4. Attendance, Reading Preparation, Participation. 10%
Attendance is mandatory; moreover, participation is expected. Learning to express one's ideas orally is just as much a part of a good liberal arts education as reading and writing. Moreover, it makes discussion much more interesting if more people participate rather than having one or two people dominate the discussion (especially if one of those people is me).
Attendance/Preparation/Participation Grade will be calculated as follows:
Grade: A
Near perfect attendance, high level of preparation, participates actively without needing to be called upon. You cannot receive an A if you miss more than three classes without excuse, no matter how good your participation is. You will not receive an A just for attending or even for responding only when called upon. “A” work is reserved for those individuals who come to class well prepared, having done the reading and sought to absorb it. “A” students bring questions to class, engage their fellow students and not just the professor, and generally make a significant contribution to the success of the class.
Grade: B
Missed a reasonable number of classes (less than three), often did the readings but not always, participated at times. Came to class prepared on most days, but not all. Actively followed the class discussion even though they did not say as much as “A” work students.
Grade: C
Missed class often, seldom did readings, participated only when called upon. Note: you can get a C even if you attend every class, if you never participate.
Grade: F
Generally, this grade can only be “achieved” by working diligently to consistently miss class. If you miss more than 4 classes, you will receive an F.
I reserve the right to lower your grade, even to the point of course failure , for excessive absences. Repeated absence from class is simply unacceptable for my course! It shows disrespect for your fellow classmates and disrupts the overall ethos of the class.
*Determination of level of reading preparation will be partially determined by pop quizzes on the readings. These are not formally calculated into grade but will help me (at times) get a sense of who is doing the reading and at what level.
Ethics Reflection Journal
Each week you must write 1-2 pages in your ethics reflection journal in which you reflect upon the readings for the week. There are many ways to do this. You might ask questions that need clarification in class. You might talk about something you found interesting or compelling. You may wish to criticize the readings in some fashion. You may wish to relate the readings to your own experience. In some way, engage the readings .
This is turned in each week on Tuesday and should cover the reading for that week . I will not grade them during the semester but I will give some very brief feedback, especially in the beginning. At the end of the semester you will turn in your journal for a grade. The grade will be based upon the amount of thought and effort that went into the entries, the quality of the writing, and the degree to which you read and engaged the readings.
Required Texts :
1. Classical Works in Medical Ethics ed. Gregory E. Pence
2. Health Care Ethics: Principles and Problems, Garrett, Baillie, and Garrett
3. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
4. Packet
Professor Availability
Office and office hours: 10C Miller M/W/F 11:00-12:00
E-mail: kfedler@ashland.edu
Phone: Office-X5208 Home: 207-8517 Please feel free to call me at home.
Reading Schedule:
CWME = Classical Works in Medical Ethics HCE= Health Care Ethics
Week 1: Introduction, Principles, and Approaches
August 25-29
CWME p. 8-16
HCE 29-30, 57-66
Week 2: Sickness, suffering, and death
September 1-5
Selected Biblical Passages Handout
Genesis 1-3 Bible
“Life, Death, and Suffering” Kyle Fedler Handout
Selections from the Death of Ivan Illich Reserve
"AIDS and the Church" Shelp and Sunderland Packet
Week 3-4: Respect for Autonomy & Physician-Patient Relations
September 8-12
HCE chapter 2, chapter 5, pages 22-26
Skip, 48-50 (top), 51-52
“Metaphors and Models of Doctor-Patient Relationships” Packet
September 15-19
“Practitioner-Patient Relationship” Terrence McConnell Handout
“Should Doctors Tell the truth?” Joseph Collins Handout
“Placebos” Sisella Bok Handout
Weeks 5-7 Refusal and Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatment ---
Euthanasia, Physician assisted suicide
Septmber 22- October 10
September 22-26
HCE chapter 7
"Euthanasia and Christian Vision" Gilbert Meilander Handout
“Whether it is Lawful to Kill Oneself” Thomas Aquinas Handout
September 29- October 3
"The Case for Legalized Euthanasia" Miller and Fletcher Handout
"Declaration on Euthanasia" Sacred Congregation Web
http://www.cin.org/vatcong/euthanas.html
“Physician-Assisted Dying: Self-Determination Run Amok”
Daniel Callahan CWME
October 6-10
Voluntary Active Euthanasia Dan Brock CWME
"The Choice of Death in a Medical Context" Margaret Farley Packet
First Paper Due
Weeks 8-9 Reproductive Technologies (Assisted Reproduction)
October 13-17
HCE, ch. 9
Chapters 1-4 of Brave New World Reserve
Selected newspaper articles Handout
October 20-24
"Instruction on Respect for Human Life" Congregation Web
http://www.cin.org/vatcong/donumvit.html
“Ethical Implications of In Vitro Fertilization” Janet Dickey McDowell Handout
“The Case Against Surrogate Parenting” Herbert T. Krimmel CWME
“Surrogate Parenting: Not So Novel After All” John A Robertson CWME
Weeks 10-11 Genetics and the Human Genome Project
October 27-31
HCE 321-327
“Bad Axioms in Genetic Engineering” C. Keith Boone CWME
“Moral Issues in Human Genetics” Ruth Macklin CWME
November 3-7
“Begetting and Cloning” Gilbert Meilander Web
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9706/meilaender.html
“Genetic Engineering and Genetic Policy”
Presidential Commission Packet
"From Clinic to Congregation" Terese Lysaught Packet
Weeks 12-13 Micro-allocation of Scarce Resources: Organ Transplantation
November 10-14
HCE chapter 10, 98-104
"Religious Justifications for Donating Body Parts" William May Packet
UNOS Update "Regulated Commercialism" Handout
**Biomedical Ethics: Opposing Viewpoints
Kass, “The Buying and Selling of Organs Raises Serious Ethical Questions”
Bailey, “The Buying and Selling of Organs Saves Lives”
November 17-21
Selections from “The Allocation of Exotic Medical Lifesaving Therapy”
Nicholas Rescher Sections VI-VII optional CWME
"Alcoholics and Liver Transplantation" Cohen, et. al. CWME
“Should Alcoholics Compete Equally for Liver Transplants?”
Moss and Siegler Handout
Week 14-15 Macro-allocation: A Right to Helath Care
November 24-28 No class
Read:
“For and Against Equal Access to Health Care” Amy Gutman CWME
Social Justice and Equal Access to Health Care" 503-519 Gene Outka Packet
December 1-5
“Rights to Health Care” Tristam Engelhardt Packet
“The Right to a Decent Minimum of Health Care” Buchanan Packet
“Justice, the Basic Social Contract, and Health Care” Robert Veatch Packet