CELL NOTES 3/12/07

ICE BREAKER

What is the most memorable conversation you have had recently?

THEME

Nurse, pass the scalpel

Reading.  Luke 24: 13 – 24

SERMON OUTLINE

Jeff Perring, who works as a consultant on the Intensive Care Unit, at the Children’s Hospital, looked at medical ethics.

The sermon title, and overall theme, very quickly raise a lot of issues.

1) When does somebody become a person and what does it mean to be a person?

2) God has told us to obey His laws and put them into practice in everyday life – but, especially for those working in health care, this needs to be worked out in a secular environment.

3) The Geneva Convention of 1948 rightly stresses the right of each individual - nobody is to be seen as a means to an end.

4) The question of how to allocate limited resources is huge. This is illustrated by the limited Intensive Care facilities in South Africa, and yet the huge numbers of HIV children.

5) 4 Guiding Principles

              i) The individual must have the right to make decisions and give consent for their own treatment.

             ii) Don’t do any harm

            iii) Do good (Sometimes this needs to be held in balance with (ii))

             iv) Use resources fairly.

6) deciding the best interests of somebody may not be clear – especially when family matters etc are considered.

7) The story of Peter to illustrate these many, and at times life/death, dilemmas.

8) In hospital these dilemmas are not theory – they are present in real situations almost daily.

9) Jeff’s perspective as a Christian, working in the midst of all this :-

              i) Needs the wisdom of Solomon. Uses the prayer in 2Chron 1: 10, sometimes translated “a heart with skill to listen.”

            ii) His faith is at the core of his values, which need to be worked out with respect to other colleagues who may well have different values.

            iii) There will always be decisions he disagrees with – so it is very important to have a good process of coming to decisions.

10) the model of the disciples discussing with Jesus, even before they realise who He was, Jeff finds very helpful.

QUESTIONS OF APPLICATION

1) What has been your experience of receiving medical treatment?

2) What has been the impact of your faith when you have been ill, or somebody you love has been ill?

3) Have you ever been faced with an issue of medical ethics – e.g. when to turn a machine off, what type of treatment to seek, issues around conception or abortion?

4) Do you face dilemmas in any other areas of your life?

5) have you had an “Emmaus Road” experience, when Jesus has surprised you?