The November Institute 2008

Malaysia Bible Seminary

Klang, Malaysia

17-20 November 2008

Biomedical Ethical  Issues in the Contemporary Malaysian Church

Course Description

Advances in medical treatment modalities, biotechnological innovations, and genetic-molecular manipulations have brought about a set of unique challenges to issues not faced by the Church before. In this course, a pastoral-theological approach will be used to examine, reflect and develop responses to these difficult moral and ethical issues – test tube and designer babies, facts and fallacies of stem cell therapies, cloning, reproductive issues, abortion, mercy-killing, allocation of scarce healthcare resources, living will, gene therapy, prenatal diagnosis, aesthetic surgery- facing the contemporary Malaysian Church.  This course is relevant to pastors, theologians, church leaders, counsellors, seminarians, doctors, and all Christians who are committed to living ethically in these changing times.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The desired outcome of this course is that participants will demonstrate analytical and evaluative skills in their approach to biomedical ethical issues in their own ecclesiastical and cultural context.

By the end of this course, it is hoped that participants will

1. have an enlarged knowledge base of
   1. the foundations of bioethics
   2. pastoral-theological decision making
   3. bioethical issues at the beginning of life, and reproductive medicine
   4. bioethical issues of genetics; stem cells, cloning, and gene therapy
   5. bioethical issues at end of life, death and dying, and organ transplantation
2. have improved their ability to critically reflect on the continuing dialogue of theology, culture and bioethics
3. be able to offer pastoral help and counsel on biomedical ethical issues

Course Syllabus

Biomedical Ethics reader (for students)

Recommended Reading

Session 1: Introduction to Biomedical Ethics

Session 2: Issues in the Beginning of Life

Session 3: Issues in Reproduction

Session 4: Issues about genes and cells

Session 5: Issues about the end of life (Part 1)

Session 6: Issues about the end of life (Part 2)

Session 7: Developing a Christian pastoral-theological approach to Biomedical Ethics

Public Forum