Every single one of us, in my view, has value. Humans were created in God’s likeness and are tasked with carrying out God’s plan for the planet. Everything happens for a reason, and I think that God has a purpose for everyone of us, even if we don’t recognize it or comprehend it. Individuals, in my opinion, have the right to make their own decisions. Abortion, in my opinion, may be justified in extreme circumstances, such as when the mother’s life is endangered by pregnancy difficulties or when the pregnancy is the consequence of rape. I believe that when two consenting adults participate in an action that is known to result in pregnancy and that pregnancy occurs, the result should be acknowledged and supported as a matter of principle and duty. My position, on the other hand, cannot supersede an individual’s right to self-determination, therefore I am pro-choice. Because they have an influence on human life, bioethical concerns, abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research are all contentious.
The issue is whether these things are good or destructive to God’s creation of human life. I support stem cell research because studies show that this science has the potential to heal or cure a wide range of ailments. When the issue of “designer babies” is discussed in the context of reducing the possibility of birth malformations and disabilities, it looks to be a promising one. On the other side, prospective parents are emotionally and financially committed in this therapy. Because of this investment and medical science’s expanding ability to modify gender and other physical features, we risk enticing people into fantasizing about and attempting to make the “ideal kid”. Therefore, I don’t support” designer babies”.
Along with this week’s topic…the COVID-19 virus has presented us with some very significant challenges. The demographic at high risk appears to be the elderly. How does what you’ve learned this week about Imago Dei and the sanctity of life inform your attitude toward the care of the elderly?
I think with COVID and even other diseases such as the flu that are higher risk to elderly, there are many people out there who are very compassionate towards the elderly population and want to do everything to protect them. Unfortunately, we have also seen many people who are not, my mind goes mostly to anti-vaxxers. These people seem willing to sacrifice older generations for the sake of “personal choice” or even conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine. I do think whether or not you get the vaccine should still be up to personal choice, employers and others shouldn’t be forcing people to get vaccinated under threat of losing their job, but people still should consider who they are affecting by not accepting the vaccine. Their co-worker’s children who are too young for the vaccine, their friend who is undergoing chemotherapy, or their grandparent who is at high risk of dying from the disease even with a vaccine. Every one of those lives is important, simply because they are God’s creations and He loves them all more than we can understand, and it is our job to treat every life as sacred and protect them to the best of our ability.
This question hits close to home as my boyfriend and I are currently at home quarantined with the COVID-19 virus. I am also an emergency room nurse and prior to me being in quarantine for COVID-19 virus, I took care of many elderly individual with the COVID-19 virus. With learning about Imago Dei, I do not think it will change my care any differently because I treated my patients with dignity and respect prior to knowing what this term was (White, 2020). It is nice now knowing an official definition for my views though and if I ever start to have a weak point and start to sway from these views, I will remember Imago Dei.
References
White, N. (2020). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Grand Canyon University. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/2
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