Several weeks ago I took an ethics final where I had to respond to a very sticky ethical situation. My professor, Dr. Moore, posted the situation here. He responded to the situation in a series of 5 blog entries: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5.
The Walters 5
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4 Comments
Thanks for posting an update on your final. I was gathering my thoughts to comment when I saw you removed it from your previous post.
I was excited to read the professor’s take, especially on the surgery. That was the one area of the scenario where I found myself completely clueless.
So did you pass?
I don’t know yet. We haven’t gotten the final back. I was encouraged that I followed the same line of thinking that Dr. Moore did and came to the same basic conclusions. However, I was not as bold as he was in relation to how quickly he should tell his daughter and the congregation. Looking back, my lack of boldness partly comes from a fear of man and a fear of consequences. I was going to take the process more slowly but in retrospect I think Dr. Moore’s approach is better.
I understand your “lack of boldness,” and I think I saw it the same at first. I ultimately concluded that however bad the situation might seem to us, it’s the right thing to do, and it’s in the midst of that where the good can be accomplished. If we linger in the bad of one scenario to avoid the bad of the other — which is actually the good — I can only see the good that would have come from doing the right thing being hindered by such a delay.
I.E. As bad as it seems to go ahead with full disclosure to the daughter, the alternative of non-disclosure could only prolong any good or healing that will come.
The whole thing was just a mental challenge for me as I’ve never even come close to this kind of situation, but the good thing in practicing scenario ethics is that these are realities in the world we live in. It’s only a matter of time before a similar situation hits close to home.
In the mean time…these are just my thoughts as a distant onlooker.
Thanks Kirk. If anybody thought that this situation was just “way out there”….it’s not. Here’s a CNN news report from May:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/05/18/dnt.ne.transgender.kid.ketv?iref=videosearch
This story is so unfortunate. I don’t doubt the kids feelings. We just can’t let our feelings dictate our lives when our feelings are contrary to Scripture. Our culture puts our “feelings” above all else and our mantra is that we have to live “authentic”, “true to yourself” lives. My blog entry on April 23rd hits on this type of thinking. http://thewalters5.com/the-danger-of-authenticity/2009/04/