Radical Dependence and the Imago Dei : Bioethical Implications of Access to Healthcare for People with Disabilities

Abstract

As more people with disabilities (PWD) participate in many different settings where they once may have been excluded, nondisabled folks have become more accustomed to both casual and commercial interactions with them. And yet, many of these same people may ask about the general and critical needs for healthcare that PWD will have from time to time and whether or not they should receive extraordinary levels of medical care in times of health crisis. The subtext of this whether-or-not thinking may be: aren't they better off dead? But, I wonder, are the standards of care for PWD really different from standards for the nondisabled? And, I question, whose quality of life is at stake in cases involving a person with disabilities? This essay explores the ethical implications of the questions of standards and quality that an imago Dei theological anthropology of radical dependence challenges. This anthropology is then used to unlock the content and context of human relationality in matters of human flourishing, particularly in terms of healthcare needs for PWD.

from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2liLTcT
via IFTTT