Faithful Choices
An Adult Program in Clinical Ethics and Religious ValuesBy Wayne B. Arnason
- Theme and Description
- This 8-session program for adults uses case studies to explore the relationships between religious ethics and issues of health care. Topics under consideration include the right to refusal of treatment, informed consent, and privacy and truth-telling in health care. Current news articles brought in by participants enrich the program and ground it in the real concerns of the group.
- Goals for Participants
- To become more knowledgeable, faithful, responsible, and assertive health care decision-makers;
To draw connections between real-life examples and UU Principles and values, as well as other thinking in the field of ethics;
To develop personal guidelines to handle difficult issues of medical ethics in the future.
- Size of Group
- 4-20 participants; 8-16 probably ideal
- Space Requirements
- Requires a meeting space than can comfortably accommodate all participants in a circle and that can provide room for small group work if the group size is eight or more.
- Number and Length of Sessions
- 8 sessions
Length: 2-2-1/2 hours - Leader Training
- Can be led by one person or by a team; leader(s) should have experience in group process. If the group is greater than 10, co-leadership is strongly recommended. While not required, this program does benefit from leadership by religious professionals. Medical professions are an asset, also.
- Leader Preparation
- Careful advance preparation and reading of the materials provided is an essential part of the success of this program. Furthermore, because the field of clinical ethics changes rapidly, leaders may have to familiarize themselves with issues that have arisen since the publication of this course.
- Strengths
- Deals in a meaningful, challenging way with current issues relevant to the lives of the participants;
Helps prepare participants for real life challenges that people often do not prepare for;
Relates UU faith and values to participants' real lives;
Clear session plans, consistent praxis;
Good background information as well as suggested resources. - Limitations
- Because of the constantly changing health care and medical realities, leaders and participants must stay current through the media, Internet, and possibly guest speakers.
- Adaptability
- Case studies can include those presented in the program, those drawn from the media, or those taken from real-life situations participants have experienced.
- Unitarian Universalist Values
- Explicitly incorporates the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources into its considerations of health care ethics, as well as the 1988 GA Resolution on the Right to Die with Dignity and other specifically Unitarian Universalist values.
Reviewed on June 30, 1996
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Curricula
