Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment: A Christian Approach to Clinical Ethics Consultation
Adam Omelianchuk, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital
Over the last few years there has been an active debate about whether religious, and specifically Christian, clinical ethics consultants should allow their Christian beliefs to influence their assessment, analysis, and ethical recommendations in particular cases (and if so, how?). Participants divide along sacred and secular lines, with some arguing there should be no influence from religious beliefs, some arguing that they should not only influence, but that it is sometimes okay to directly appeal to them, and some taking a moderate position that permits indirect influence but is wary of direct appeals. While I see pros and cons in each position, my dissatisfaction with this debate is that it conceives of “Christian belief” as a set of commitments to a law-style morality sourced in Christian authorities (Scripture, tradition, etc.). By “law-style morality” I mean doctrine that establishes a rule-following approach that only focuses on one major theme in Christian theology, that is, the theme of law which codifies God’s standards for holy living. What is routinely ignored is the theme of gospel, the good news of reconciliation with “lawbreakers” as accomplished and promoted in the ministry of Jesus. As much as it matters to determine what rules and principles apply to a given case, how ethicists conduct themselves matters just as much if not more since so much of ethics consultation work involves active listening, interpreting the behavior of others, and building a rapport so as to communicate well with everyone involved.
In this presentation, I contend that Christian belief also includes commitments to the gospel as well as the law, and that a major component of ethical conduct, especially Christian conduct, is simply missing in this debate: the centrality of mercy and the virtue of compassion in clinical ethics consultation. Although my approach is autobiographical and exploratory in nature, I answer objections along the way, namely that my approach just reduces to another rule of conduct Christian ethicists have to follow, and that it simultaneously and ironically diminishes the value of rules and principles, which sometimes have to be asserted without any application of mercy or reference to Christian belief. My aim is not to furnish yet another rule that ought to be followed or to argue that there is never a place for laying down the law, but to say that a Christian approach to ethics consultation must accord with the virtue of compassion and at the very least a disposition to be charitable towards others in the consultation process, particularly in the work of communication. Overall, I aim to create a space for imagining how Christian belief about the centrality of mercy can inform not only clinical ethics consultation, but also the broader landscape of care, across professions and disciplines, for anyone working in medicine and healthcare who resonates with this aspect of the Christian faith.
In this presentation, I contend that Christian belief also includes commitments to the gospel as well as the law, and that a major component of ethical conduct, especially Christian conduct, is simply missing in this debate: the centrality of mercy and the virtue of compassion in clinical ethics consultation. Although my approach is autobiographical and exploratory in nature, I answer objections along the way, namely that my approach just reduces to another rule of conduct Christian ethicists have to follow, and that it simultaneously and ironically diminishes the value of rules and principles, which sometimes have to be asserted without any application of mercy or reference to Christian belief. My aim is not to furnish yet another rule that ought to be followed or to argue that there is never a place for laying down the law, but to say that a Christian approach to ethics consultation must accord with the virtue of compassion and at the very least a disposition to be charitable towards others in the consultation process, particularly in the work of communication. Overall, I aim to create a space for imagining how Christian belief about the centrality of mercy can inform not only clinical ethics consultation, but also the broader landscape of care, across professions and disciplines, for anyone working in medicine and healthcare who resonates with this aspect of the Christian faith.