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DHHS gives special presentation on medical ethics to Liberty healthcare students, staff

LUSON Dean Shanna Akers tunes in to Tuesday’s presentation on privacy and religious rights in healthcare given by the DHHS’ Office of Civil Rights.

Through an event sponsored by Liberty University’s School of Nursing (LUSON), students pursuing careers in healthcare fields tuned in to a virtual presentation Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) on ways to hold true to their Christian faith in the workplace and their legal rights to do so.

The presentation, titled “Ethical Dilemmas in Medicine,” was conducted by DHHS’ Office for Civil Rights — more specifically their Conscience and Religious Freedom Division — that serves as a law enforcement agency for civil rights, conscience and religious freedom rights, as well as health information privacy rights.

Due to the roughly 170 people interested in the event from many different disciplines across the university and due to current social gathering restrictions, the 80-minute presentation was viewed virtually. Faculty, staff and students from Liberty’s Schools of Nursing, Behavioral Sciences, Health Sciences, Law, Business, and the Helms School of Government, as well as the College of Osteopathic Medicine, helped to represent Liberty’s wide range of programs. Their participation is evidence of how the topic of healthcare ethics and anti-discrimination based on religious or moral beliefs is present in multiple industries.

DHHS personnel outlined key court cases and statutes — including the Church, Coats-Snowe, and Weldon Amendments — that enforce the prohibition of discrimination against individuals or organizations who refuse to act, train/study, provide referrals, or make arrangements for medical practices that may contradict their religious or moral convictions, namely for actions like abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, among others.

School of Nursing Dean Shanna Akers said the presentation was a learning experience and reminder for the students watching, noting that as Christians they are very likely to encounter contradictions to their personal beliefs in the ever-changing medical field.

“Nurses and other members of the healthcare team will find themselves in situations when their personal religious beliefs are in conflict with colleagues, patient desires, or organizational policies, and providers must know the laws and regulations that protect their rights,” she said. “If one knows the resources and has a plan to face ethical dilemmas, if one knows how their Christian worldview and values must align with their actions, and if one understands the actions to take to protect one’s moral character and spiritual health, this person is ready to face any ethical situation that may arise.”

 

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