Christian Scruples

As a care provider, you are daily confronted with medical and ethical issues. There are situations in which you as a nurse or healthcare provider are unable to perform certain actions because they conflict with your Christian convictions.

For this reason, the RMU has elaborated on a number of topics with a Biblical vision. The goal is to offer tools for healthcare providers with medical ethical questions.

Our guiding principles here are the standards and values that are presented us in Holy Scripture. The Ten Commandments given us by the Lord are beneficial for all people, also for those who do not, or do not want to, acknowledge Him as God. For instance, it can quite easily be deduced from the command ‘Thou shalt not kill’ that aiding with induced abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide is in conflict with this command.

It is more difficult with the decision of whether or not to resuscitate, or stopping or not starting with a treatment.

For other topics, such as whether or not to (assist with) vaccinations or organ donation, the answers are more difficult to deduce directly from the Bible. And yet, on further reflection and consideration, it is often possible to indicate a direction based on God's Word. In this respect, the working group Conscientious Objection makes grateful use of the expertise in the theological, social, ethical and nursing fields. In this way, an attempt is made to aid healthcare providers with medical-ethical and care-ethical questions in their thought process when making choices and forming opinions.

Assisted suicide

Consciously refusing food and drink

Do not resuscitate

Euthanasia

Induced abortion

Organ and tissue donation

Palliative sedation

Sexual assistance for disabled people

Stopping or not starting treatment

Terminal pain relief

Vaccination