Religion And Its Effect on Medical Decisions Essay

Religion And Its Effect on Medical Decisions - Essay Example The author of the essay "Religion And Its Effect on Medical Decisions" believes that religion is an impactful force in the lives of many individuals, it undoubtedly impacts medical decisions. Health issues such as life, death, abortion, chemotherapy, etc have attracted religious arguments. At most instances, medical decisions are taken in accordance with the religious beliefs in order to avoid moral clashes. However, at many places, religion and medical decisions have conflicted to culminate in inhibited health care. The case of Adam Lovell is an example of when his parents let their religious convictions to risk the life of their two and a half year old son (Novotny, Perkin, and Orr). At the end of the essay the author comes to a conclusion. He sums up that medical decisions are impacted by various factors many of which are influenced by religion and spirituality. Also, the religious orientation and inclination of patients and their families are central factors that dominate the level of religiosity impacting medical decisions. The notion that religious individuals tend to go for life extending treatments is not generally true as willingness varies from person to person. Also, for serious illnesses and diseases such as cancer, the health care professionals may not consider religion as a priority for decision making as opposed to life saving scenarios that involve a greater focus on clinical recommendations than religion. That said, religion still dominates medical decisions as many patients are more religiously inclined.