How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
Topic 2 DQ 2
How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
With my worldview I have strong belief in maintaining the dignity of human life but also keep in mind the endless factors that can affect everyones life in various ways. Decisions such as abortion and other controversial topics can be sensitive with how taboo the topics are. I do certainly believe there is a situation that can lead to any of these decisions, its a matter of how to go about them in a way that is respectful to who it effects directly.
With abortion, this is something I believe to be highly controversial as there are many arguments on when life is deemed “valuable” and when it is not. Within my worldview, I do believe that the mother has a choice over her body and what procedures she undergoes including pregnancy, but I also believe there should be a limit. Unless there is some known issue that arises during pregnancy which can cause mother to not live, I think that it is her decision to move forward with the risk or terminate the pregnancy for safety, but late term abortions shouldnt just be handed out. This is another area where I think that situation can shape the decision as well, even if the rate is lower than any other abortion it is still a factor that plays into a heavy decision as such. As far as trauma related to the abortion post non consensual interaction, there could also be trauma related to knowing the child will be born the child of rape and the fear of them knowing this fact about their life. ” Only 11.7% of these victims received immediate medical attention after the assault, and 47.1% received no medical attention related to the rape. A total 32.4% of these victims did not discover they were pregnant until they had already entered the second trimester; 32.2% opted to keep the infant whereas 50% underwent abortion and 5.9% placed the infant for adoption; an additional 11.8% had spontaneous abortion” (Holmes 1996).
Designer babies area another topic that can bring up differing views. In the world of science, this is a huge step, whereas in the world of Christianity this is against what God intended as we are stepping out of the idea of His creation. Playing with genetics in life does seem like a “bad idea”, but I do think if used correctly could benefit humans. If this process were used to help create babies free of disease and health issues where there is a high likelihood of such being passed on from the parents it could be beneficial.
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Stem cell research does lead in towards designer babies as it includes genetically modifying parts of the makeup. “With these technological developments, practitioners and ethicists must judge these advances and their consequences” (Bogue & Hogan, 2022) because of the idea that this process could lead towards “nazi” like purification of the genetic makeup of the human race but they also should weigh the benefit of helping cure disease and illnesses to better benefit the population.
References
Holmes, M., Resnick, H., Kilpatrick, D., & Best, C. (1996b, August). Rape-related pregnancy: Estimates and descriptive characteristics from … American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(96)70141-2/fulltext
Bogue, D. W., & Hogan, M. (2022). Foundational Issues in Christian Spirituality and Ethics. In Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision-Making in Health Care (2nd ed., pp. 83–124). Grand Canyon University. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/1000000000591/epub/Chapter2.html#page_124
SAMPLE 2 – How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
The typical Christian worldview regards abortion as the “killing of unborn children” (White, 2022). A fetus is the stage of development after the embryonic stage; this transition from embryo to fetus is around week 9 of a pregnancy (Fetal Development, n.d.). This Christian worldview is founded on the concept of imago dei; each and every living human being is made in the likeness of God and therefore deserves respect and the recognition of the value of their lives. Whether that begins at conception or at week nine is unknown to me. Nathan H. White discusses the role of Christians when it comes to protecting and caring for the powerless and mistreated in society, specifically unwanted children. Christians are primarily on the forefront of the argument against abortion and have taken a stand for those who are at risk for being exploited. My own personal worldview has always taken into account the rights of women. White makes the argument medical professionals have always regarded the fetus as its own being, a complete separate entity from their mothers, and consequently it has the right to live a happy peaceful life. Something about this argument implies that because the fetus has that right it somehow weighs more than the mother’s rights. The women also has a right to decide whether she carries or does not carry a fetus because it is her body. Her body is the one who will have to undergo VAST physical changes to accommodate the growing of the fetus. Not only physical but hormonal and emotional as well. Who is to say the fetus’ right to live a happy and peaceful life outweighs the mother’s right to live a happy and peaceful life? If they each have such a right because they are both made in the likeness of God then certainly the mother should have a choice. At the end of the day the ABILITY to make a choice is a right all women should have.
Fetal Development. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growth
White, Nathan H. (2022). God, Humanity, and Human Dignity. Grand Canyon University.
SAMPLE 3 – How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
Christians believe that all children of God are valued based off the fact that they were created in the image of God (White, 2022). This belief alone has a significant impact on Christian’s opinions regarding abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research.
I believe that each human has value no matter what religion they are a part of. Yet, I also believe in patient autonomy. Autonomy relates to the ability of patients to make healthcare decisions on their own (Sedig, 2016). Autonomy is one of the most important aspects of someone’s care. This impacts my view towards these three bioethical issues.
Abortion: I believe everyone has the right to decide if they receive an abortion. Christians argue that fetus’ have value since they were made in the image of God. I still believe the person’s decision overrides anyone’s opinion. It is a personal choice. Religion should have no impact on medical decisions.
Designer babies: Christians often believe children that are “designed” do not hold value. Though designer babies are not technically “made in the image of God,” I still believe they have value. A person has value no matter how they are made. Every person should be respected and valued no matter what.
Stem cell research: I believe that stem cell research is beneficial. Stem cell research is used to study our cells in hopes of helping people in the future. Having a better understanding of our bodies is always important to work towards. Christians support stem cell research and its aspect of helping people in the future. I agree with the Christian point of view regarding stem cell research.
References
White, N. H. (2022). God, Humanity, and Human Dignity. BibliU. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/1000000000591/epub/Chapter2.html#page_83
Sedig, L. (2016, January). What’s the role of autonomy in patient- and family-centered care when patients and family members don’t agree? Journal of Ethics. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/whats-role-autonomy-patient-and-family-centered-care-when-patients-and-family-members-dont-agree/2016-01#:~:text=Patient%20Autonomy%20and%20Informed%20Consent,clinicians’%20recommendations%20%5B1%5D. How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
