This article explores the scientific and theological foundations for receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. It presents an overview of measles, mumps, and rubella diseases, vaccine efficacy, safety, and ethical concerns, especially among faith communities. Drawing on Scripture, doctrine, and historical theological voices, it argues that scientific truth is part of God’s revelation and that vaccination is a moral and loving act of care for others. After addressing common objections, the article encourages Christian healthcare professionals to promote vaccination as both medically wise and biblically faithful.
Category Archives: Early Access
Discontinuing Medical Treatment of a Minor
Is it permissible to let this child go home without dialysis if he and his mother are refusing it?
The Christian Physician Today
What difference does it make to be a Christian physician? In this essay, we suggest an approach to answering the pressing of question of who we are to be as Christians who are called by God to practice medicine. Drawing from our years of clinical experience we present a reflection and exhortation in which we bring together the work of scholar-mentors who collectively inform how we consider and answer the question; in so doing we hope to offer fresh perspective and encouragement. We introduce the thesis that medicine is fundamentally an eschatological enterprise throughout human history, expectantly following the healing ministry of Christ.
The Nurse Practitioner’s Oath: A Christian Hippocratic Framework for Nurse Practitioners
The nursing profession has long cared for and sought to heal the sick. The nurse today functions within healthcare teams inside hospital systems or in outpatient settings. Throughout the nursing profession, ethics has been important. The Nightingale Pledge was the ethical standard for the ideal nurse adapted from the Hippocratic Oath and named after Florence Nightingale. It held the nurse responsible to God, forbid harming the patient, and commissioned nurses to promote the health of patients and assist physicians in this endeavor. The profession advanced in 1965 to create nurse practitioners to address the needs of access to healthcare. Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced graduate-level training to examine, diagnose, treat, and prescribe in order to help and heal patients. The nurse practitioner role was originally created for nurses to assist physicians to see more patients independently. Unfortunately, nurse practitioners do not have any ethical framework or oath that shapes their practice. Only one proposal of a nurse practitioner code of ethics has been attempted. There are no oaths for nurse practitioners to serve as an ethical framework for nurse practitioners. Like the Nightingale Pledge that was fashioned from the Hippocratic Oath, nurse practitioners ought to practice from the moral framework of Hippocratism. Moreover, medicine and nursing were both influenced greatly by early Christianity, and Christian nurse practitioners ought to practice Christian Hippocratism. In order to base the virtuous nurse practitioner’s practice in an ethical framework, an Oath for Nurse Practitioners is proposed.
Autonomy vs. Protection: The Ethical Dilemma of Involuntary Treatment in a High-Risk Patient
Should the medical team allow the request of a patient’s mother, acting as his surrogate, to approve involuntary hospitalization and the off-label use of antibiotic treatment where the benefit appears unclear?
Hippocratic Resistance: Conscientious Medicine and Strategic Ethics
Abstract
Conscientious medicine enjoys a long history, with roots reaching back to the Hippocratic Oath. Conscientious objection (CO) as a particular manifestation of such practice carries broader implications for healthcare and society. While patients have the right to decline treatments, they are free to do so for a variety of reasons, even against medical advice (AMA). Healthcare professionals (HCPs), on the other hand, are viewed differently. When it comes to morally questionable interventions, they may be asked to put aside their own convictions out of a sense of obligation or duty. Critics claim that conscientious objection that delays or limits interventions can cause harm. Supporters of conscientious objection argue that there is a growing list of interventions that raise larger questions about the definition of harm and the very nature of humanity. Not only is objection justified in such cases, but it may also be essential to the honest practice of pluralistic medicine. This essay argues that conscientious objection is a defending characteristic of medical ethics as part of the healing identity, with strong historical roots. In addition to safety and policy, conscientious practice acts as an ethical line of defense that has protective qualities for society. Current literature on this topic speaks to the clinical challenges involved with balancing objection and access. This essay uses historical examples going back to Hippocrates to illustrate how respecting individual conscience is strategic for the collective endeavor of medical ethics.
Keywords: Autonomy, Authority, Nonmaleficence, Conscientious, Conscience, Medical Ethics, Integrity, Hippocrates
Book Review: David VanDrunen, “Natural Law: A Short Companion”
Natural law as a guide to ethics has gotten a bad name in some Protestant circles on the grounds that it is a “Roman Catholic” doctrine that insufficiently appreciates the effects of the Fall on human reason and will. David VanDrunen—professor at Westminster Seminary California, ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, with a law degree and a PhD in Christian Ethics—begs to differ. This introduction to his work on natural law lays out its Scriptural basis. It deserves a place on the shelf of any Christian interested in ethics.
Book Review: Alberto Giubilini et al., “Rethinking Conscientious Objection in Health Care”
In Rethinking Conscientious Objection in Health Care, Giubilini et al. present a case against the right of healthcare practitioners to exercise conscientious objection according to their moral convictions.
Research Note: Cognitive Enhancement Attitudes and Uptake Among Christian College Students
This research note provides an update from a 2013–2014 online survey examining attitudes and uptake of cognitive enhancement drugs among students at five Christian colleges.
A Higher Calling: Bioethical and Christian Perspectives on Medical Drone Delivery in Developing Nations
This review discusses the emerging technology of medical drone delivery and the associated logistical, bioethical, and Christian worldview considerations. Utilization of drones for delivering medical supplies, though a groundbreaking advancement enhancing medical accessibility and timeliness, raises significant bioethical concerns rooted in principles like beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and explicability. These concerns entail ensuring equitable distribution of medical resources for public benefit while safeguarding patient privacy and data integrity. It is imperative for companies to adhere to regulatory frameworks and transparently communicate about this emerging technology. Addressing these challenges necessitates stakeholder collaboration, involving manufacturers, healthcare providers, regulatory authorities, and communities. From a Christian worldview, key principles encompass the sanctity of life, justice and equity, responsible stewardship of resources, and community welfare. The bioethical implementation of medical delivery drones depends on finding a balance, leveraging technological progress for societal good, and mitigating risks through conscientious, accountable practices. By embracing this approach, the healthcare sector can effectively leverage drone technology to enhance patient care and public health outcomes while upholding the intrinsic values of healthcare, such as compassion, empathy, and human connection.