For this discussion, you are approaching the broad topic of end-of-life issues, including the ethics of end-of-life treatment, cost and availability, life-extending vs. palliative treatment, decisions around when to extend and when to stop treatment, the ethics of suicide (with or without physician assistance), and so on. As with previous weeks, there is more to talk about than you can possibly cover in this single discussion. Do some things very well rather than trying to do everything. One element I urge you to consider is how you might approach these issues not ONLY professionally (with you patients) but also personally (as you consider your own wishes and your family members.) A good way to get rolling is to: Start with an element of the discussion of beginning-of-life issues. One easy way to do this is to pick a quotation from one of the readings or presentations, cite it (Author, page # or time), briefly explain why it is important and why you picked it, and then respond to it. In your response, YOU MUST be sure to use the bioethical personal (from Panicola) and social justice (from Cameron and Welch) principles we discussed last week. How can they help us to think through these beginning-of-life issues? (You will not use ALL of the principles! Just use what is most salient to your point right now.) Personal: beneficence, veracity, autonomy, care for the whole person, proportionality, double effect, etc. Social: sanctity and dignity of the human person; family, community, and participation; solidarity; the option for the poor and vulnerable; the balance of rights with responsibilities; dignity of work; care for the natural world It can also be really helpful to give “for instances,” cases or situations that force us to think deeply about what principles matter most, when, and why. Your initial post should be about 250 words, and is due by Sunday at 11:59PM. By Tuesday at 11:59PM, you will have made at least two substantial replies to classmates. These MUST come on a different day from your first post. By Wednesday, you will have made a third visit to the discussion and will have made at least one additional comment. This can be short, but it is to help you make sure to close the loop on issues that have come up. Some tips: • Please answer the question(s) thoroughly. Treat the discussion boards as a professional conversation space rather than a wall. Generally, then, you want to avoid SMS-style abbreviations or emojis. • Spelling, grammar, and clarity of expression matter, so be sure to proofread before posting. For the discussion posts, the occasional typographical error is not going to ruin the whole post, but repeated errors make it difficult for the reader to understand your ideas. • You do not need to have a thesis statement like you would for an essay. However, your posts should be organized into well-structured paragraphs. • Use parenthetical citations to indicate the authors and pages where you are finding your information. You should be citing when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. For example: I am intrigued by the question Ring et al. (1998) raise of whether in religion we are creating order or whether we are discovering order (8-9). When quoting directly, of course, use quotation marks. Keep direct quotations short. For example: Ring et al. (1998) emphasize ethics when they claim that “the religious goal – salvation, liberation, enlightenment – is often achieved as a result of moral action” (102). • Use your replies to help enhance and advance the conversation. By all means, tell classmates what you find helpful about their posts, but also: o Draw on course content to respond. o Make connections between ideas from this course, other courses, and the world around us. o Explain how your peer’s post affects you or what it makes you think about. o Appreciatively push your peer to consider critiques and alternatives. o Ask questions that further the conversation. Your grade for each discussion depends on: Development of Ideas — 10 points Responsiveness — 10 points Clarity of Expression — 5 points
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