Bioethics Archive

Self-Esteem from a Scalpel: The Ethics of Plastic Surgery

This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 33, number 04 (2010). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org  SYNOPSIS The numbers of patients seeking plastic surgery has skyrocketed in the past decade, and this practice has found increasingly uncritical acceptance. Plastic surgery is commonly subdivided [...]

Can human cloning be harmonized with a Christian worldview?

As has been well said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” The stark reality of this sentiment was borne out in 1973 when Christians quietly passed by a major battle in the war against abortion. Two and a half decades later, the far-reaching impact of that [...]

Should Christians support a ban on embryonic stem cell research?

In 2004 the cash-strapped state of California passed Proposition 71, allocating three billion dollars to finance the cloning of human embryos and their subsequent destruction through embryonic stem cell research. Support for this proposition was largely influenced by celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Nancy Reagan, and the late Christopher Reeve who reiterated the biotech industry’s [...]

Should Christians use in vitro fertilization?

In vitro-literally “in glass”-fertilization (IVF) is an increasingly popular form of reproductive technology that should raise significant moral concerns in the hearts and minds of believers. First, there are major moral concerns associated with using biotechnology in place of the natural means for procreation. The fertilization of an egg in a glass dish can lead [...]

Should Christians use birth control?

In light of recent advances in biotechnology it is crucial to consider the issue of birth control through the lens of a biblical worldview. First, while there is much debate among Christians on the question of whether birth control is appropriate in any form, there is no question that birth control methods designed to destroy [...]

Stem Cell Obfuscation

This article first appeared in the Viewpoints column of the Christian Research Journal, volume33, number03 (2010). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org If you pay attention to the news at all, you are probably convinced that stem cell research will eventually solve every medical challenge our society [...]

Should Christians Take Antidepressants?

“[Depression] is a positive and active anguish, a sort of psychical neuralgia wholly unknown to normal life.” —William James, Varieties of Religious Experience1 Should Christians take antidepressants? Or is there spiritual benefit in suffering through depressed moods? Are antidepressants overprescribed? Are they more harmful than helpful? How should Christians think about antidepressant therapy? How thoughtful [...]

Very Quiet People

This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume29, number1 (2006). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org SYNOPSIS Medical and philosophical fascination with the “vegetative” state long predated the case of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was judged to have been unconscious for 15 years. [...]

The Parish Nursing Alternative

This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume28, number2(2005) as a companion to the feature article Healing Touch: Trouble with Angels by Sharon Fish Mooney. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org Parish nursing is a contemporary outgrowth of the late Lutheran minister Granger Westberg’s vision [...]

Betting the Farm

This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 29, number 4 (2006). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org SYNOPSIS For years now, advocates of embryonic stem cell research have flatly denied any intention of implanting cloned embryos into volunteer mothers to harvest tissues or organs [...]