Medical_Treatment_and_Religious_Beliefs_Issues

Medical Treatment and Religious Beliefs

Problems/Case Studies

"To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: That is the Question". Caren Shapiro, D'Youville College. State University of New York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study Teaching.
This case study explores the issues surrounding the necessity and consequences of vaccination. The case was prompted by a newspaper story about a couple who refused on religious grounds to have their son vaccinated even though vaccination is a requirement for admission to the public schools.
The case is suitable for both non-majors and allied health biology courses.

"A Case Study Involving Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine" by John Bennett, Carroll College. The National Center for Case Studies Teaching in Science.
This interrupted case study presents a discussion about the benefits of the influenza vaccine between Mary, a nursing student, and her coworker, Karen. Karen is not convinced by Mary's arguments in favor of vaccination, and she counters with several common rationalizations for not getting the vaccine. Students work in small groups to evaluate the arguments for and against vaccination from the perspective of each woman. In addressing the questions associated with the case, students learn about the general biology of viral infections, treatment of infections, and immunity.
The case was designed for use in an entry-level course in microbiology for nursing students or a first-year biology course for majors.

Articles in "Taking Sides"

1. "Should Adolescents Make Their Own Life-and-Death Decisions?" Levine, Carol. Taking Sides: Bioethical Issues, eleventh edition.
Issue Summary:

YES: Ethicist Robert F. Weir and pediatrician Charles Peters assert that adolescents with normal cognitive and developmental skills have the capacity to make decisions about their own health care. Advance directives, if used appropriately, can give older pediatric patients a voice in their care. (from "Affirming the Decisions Adolescents Make About Life and Death", Hastings Center Report, November-December 1997).

NO: Pediatrician Lainie Friedman Ross counters that parents should be responsible for making their child's health care decisions. Children need to develop virtues, such as self-control, that will enhance their long-term, not just immediate, autonomy. (from "Health Care Decision-making by Children: Is It in Their Best Interest?", Hastings Center Report, November-December 1997)