Presentation and PowerPoint - James Rusthoven - Islamic Bioethics
Presentation and PowerPoint - James Rusthoven - Islamic Bioethics
Islamic Bioethics: Report on Ways of Addressing Bioethical Issues in Different Islamic Traditions and Contexts
On April 10 and 11 this year, I had the privilege of attending an interdisciplinary conference
on Islamic Bioethics, held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Participants
included Islamic medical staff, social scientists, scholars, and leaders as well as Christian, Jewish,
and secular invited participants and observers who were interested in better understanding
different approaches to bioethical issues within Islam. The main program was divided into
four panels of speakers with discussion, focusing on 1) exploring the place of technology,
religion, culture and law in bioethics, 2) understanding bioethics through the lens of the Islamic
tradition, 3) public and professional aspect of Islamic bioethics, and 4) the impact of Islamic
traditions and medical personnel on the health care system in the United States. The last
afternoon of the conference was devoted to closed door roundtable discussions on developing
a distinct Islamic bioethics in the US.
After a review of the current paradigm in bioethics within Western societies, the current
state of Islamic bioethics was reviewed within a framework of four historical stages: moral
objectivism, theistic objectivism, traditionalism, and modernity/postmodernity. Speakers
addressed positions distinct to Sunni, Shiite, and, to a lesser extent, Sufi traditions but also
emphasized differences within those traditions. The various contributions to bioethical
reflection and decision-making within each tradition were presented, and the differences in
authority behind bioethical decision-making were articulated. Speakers from outside of the
US described the impact on living context within and outside of Islamic countries on Islamic
reflection and decision-making. Specific case experiences in eastern Michigan involving Islamic
and non-Islamic medical staff, patients, and families were presented to highlight concrete
problems brought about by the interaction of stakeholders holding diverse beliefs in those
situations.
I will present my impressions and interpretations of the meeting proceedings and share my
thoughts on how interfaith dialogue might be possible based on differences and similarities in
Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and secular traditions that influence bioethical perspective.