Adventist Health Systems Inaugurate Adventist Bioethics Consortium
June 18, 2017: A June 16 news article on the Loma Linda University Health website profiled recent developments in Adventist discussions on bioethics.
The article reported that the five Adventist health systems in the United Stated are banding together in a consortium to better address the area of bioethics.
The systems participating in the consortium are Loma Linda University Health, Adventist Health System, Kettering Health Network, Adventist Health and Adventist HealthCare.
Representatives from the systems met in Ohio during the second annual Adventist Bioethics Conference held in April.
At the conference, the Adventist Bioethics Consortium was inaugurated.
“Advancements in medical technology open up new possibilities for positive health outcomes and more compassionate, personalized care,” said Paul Crampton, Adventist Health assistant vice president for mission and spiritual care. “At the same time, there are ethical implications that demand our attention. The more we are able to collectively examine these implications in the light of our mission and values, the more likely we are to provide the highest quality of care.”
Dr. Gerald Winslow, director of the LLU Center for Christian Bioethics, is coordinating the group.
Both Winslow and Crampton are hopeful that the consortium will help advance dialogue about bioethics within the Adventist Church.
“What do faithful answers look like?” asked Winslow. “We need to help each other, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to address issues of medical ethics in our society and avoid mission drift away from our Adventist heritage.”
Key areas of discussion within bioethics include topics such as physician-assisted suicide, gender dysphoria and stem-cell research.
Winslow insisted that the most prominent bioethics issue in society boils down to what he sees as basic justice: equal access to quality healthcare for everyone.
“In Christianity,” said Winslow, “the commitment to protect the most vulnerable members of society is not optional. We must find a sustainable way to provide medical care to everyone, especially those who are least likely to get a fair shake.”
