Who Would You Save: Response

This is what am submitting as my answer to the question posed by my ethics teacher. You can see the question Here.

I am a follower of Christ. I attempt to make all of my decisions in accordance with the teaching of the Bible, as I believe it to be the word of God (though I am far from perfect in my understanding and application).  I have included scripture references, if you are interested in following my argument.

My Biblical Presuppositions:

1. No one deserves to be cured. No matter how they contracted the virus. It would be sinful to declare someone morally superior to another person, because no one is. (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 6:23, Isaiah 53:6).

2.  All people are created in the image of God and are of equal value.  (Genesis 1:27)

3. It is vanity to believe that we have the ability to “save” someone.  God is ultimately in control of life. He is sovereign. (Hebrews 9:27-29, Colossians 1:16, Job 14:5, Acts 17:25-16)

4. There is always a way out of every moral quandary. God will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). If this were a real situation God would make the correct choice apparent through prayer, bible reading and seeking wise counsel.

5. We must submit our selves to the will of God and be careful not to violate our consciences.

 6. God is merciful and loving, He works all things out for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28, Psalm 103)

My personal presuppositions: (not absolute and up for debate)

1. I believe that as a society we has a duty to protect and promote the welfare of our children first and foremost.

2. Generally, the policy for scarce medical resources (ex. organs for transplant) is to treat the sickest first and then those who are most likely to benefit and survive the treatment process.

Therefore these are my suggestions:

1. Go to great lengths to get more money and purchase more vaccines.

If this is nor possible:

2. Give everyone a ½ dose and pray.

If that is not possible:

3. Give the doses to those under 18 and then the five sickest adults.

Ultimately, we must not attempt to choose people based on their supposed value or worthiness.

Who would you save?

This is an assignment for my nursing ethics class. I want some opinions. Please tell me how you decided.

I will post what I submitted in a few days.

You have a vaccine that cures AIDS. But you only have 7. Who do you choose?

1) A 15 year old African American female was exposed to the virus through her 14 year old boyfriend. She comes from a two parent, middle class family, attends junior high school and is the fifth of nine children.
2) A 52 year of Caucasian business executive and father of four, recently released from a federal penitentiary where he served two years for insider trading on the bond market, contracted the virus during a minor medical procedure in the prison hospital. Currently, he is doing 1000 hours of community service teaching job skills and money management to inner city youths.
3) A 35 year old Hispanic mother of one child, 5 years of age, was exposed to the virus during an emergency blood transfusion. She has been happily married to her second husband for three years ( her first husband, the girl's father, left the community and maintains no contact with either of them).
4) A 40 year old single African United Nations refugee settlement worker is responsible for placing thousands of refugee children from war torn countries in permanent adoptive families. A member of an African tribe that practices polygamy, he was exposed to the virus through one of his mates. He has many children by a number of women.
5) A 23 year old single Caucasian female is training to become an Olympic athlete. Her family has made great sacrifices so that she might reach her full potential as an athlete. She is concerned that if she does not get the vaccine, she will not be able to repay them for the sacrifices they have made.
6) A 38 year old single Asian male is one of the few artists to have survived the persecution in his homeland and he seeks to perpetuate the artistic traditions of his people.
7) A 72 year old mother, grandmother and wife is the sole caretaker of her 76 year old husband who has severe arthritis.
8) A 49 year old white woman with four children (one of whom is developmentally disabled) is from an upper middle class background and was probably exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair.
 9) A 56 year old Hispanic male, with a wife and seven children, was also most likely exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair. He is a machinist and the sole support of his family.
10) A 20 year old single college student majoring in education has no idea how she became exposed to the virus and has not told her family that she tests positive for HIV.
11) An 18 month old baby was exposed to the virus through his mother, who has a full blown case of AIDS. His father has already died of the disease.
12) A 49 year old clergyman is the spiritual guide to the congregants of the largest church in the state. He has blessed thousands of babies, presided over hundreds of weddings and funerals, and provided solace and support to countless persons who needed it.
13) A 29 year old house husband takes care of a house and three children while his wife attends medical school and works part-time as a lab technician.
14) A 56 year old single Caucasian genetic researcher is close to completing work on finding a cure for diabetes, which has a good possibility to ultimately resulting in the perfection of a gene-altering procedure that would rid us of the scourge of diabetes.