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Final Paper: A Moral/Ethical Position Paper on a Healthcare Event, Story, Case or Issue
Targeted Outcome
Reflect on your religious beliefs and values as they pertain to ethical dilemmas in the healthcare setting.” Affective Learning (A3):
Compare moral positions in ethical decision making about real cases relevant to health professionals.” Cognitive Learning (C4):
Process
You will pick a healthcare ethic topic, issue, case, or story you want to express a ethical viewpoint about.
You will formulate a view on it and look for opposing views from yours.
Your final paper will also pull from your notes, your forums and your other class activities to help you process and present an ethical concern or stance on an issue or event in healthcare.
First, you will introduce your paper, then explain your own moral background and positioning that you bring to this issue. Then you will explain why you think this issue is important to you and others. Then you will give your position on the issue.
After that, you will process this case/issue through the alternative views or approaches. You will use 3 high quality academic or professional articles or resources to provide a fuller explanation of the alternative, or contrary or supplemental view from what you hold. YOU WILL READ THOSE RESOURCES AND TAKE NOTES ON THEM. You want to give 2 pages (3-4 paragraphs giving the opposing views. Give them the best supportive explanation possible. 
Then you will conclude the paper, summarizing your main ideas and concluding invitation to the reader.   
General Guidelines:
The final must both be double spaced, 12 point font, with APA citation/referencing system. Use page numbers. This must be a student’s original work for this class (not copied from the web, hired out, NOR generated by Artificial Intelligence).
These are your words from your thoughts and readings.
The writing must be in first person using APA 7th edition style, citations and references. The paper needs to be academically sound, carefully researched and engaging, but PERSONAL (NARRATIVE) in tone. Students are required to follow standard formatting. Midterm must use quotes and ideas from the textbooks AND your three articles. 
Grading of Midterm/Final
Area/Section
Note
Final
Title, Name, Date
NO title page needed; list 3 items on the top 2-3 lines of the first page with the introduction right below
3
Intro
Introductory set and advanced organizer (order) with 1 sentence on case/issue 
10
Background
Positionality/ 
Moral Frame 
This section explains who you morally are, how you developed and some guiding values you bring to this issues. You identity your positionality (gendered, age, geographic or related upbringing you think has promoted your responses in the past to moral issues and how it might be prompting you now. 
12
Case or Issue
Describe the issue, why it is important and why you selected it for this paper
10
Your position on Case or Issue
Give carefully crafted analysis of case or position on an ethical issue.
15
Alternative Views on Case/Issue
Present alternative views than yours about the case or issue, using the best arguments and convincing language that shows your ability to articulate their best approach (even if you disagree).   
25
Synthesis/
Conclusion
Throughout you show integration of ideas and your conclusion brings this all together with an insightful learning moment for the reader.
10
Quality Areas
Readings
Use class textbooks and related material but add 3 high quality, scholarly references to course material
15
References
APA
Use APA 7th Ed citation, reference, and writing styles
10
Editing
Polished word choice, sentence construction, paragraph and logical flow to paper
10
Totals
120
Moral Position Paper Rubric                 Name:                                                                        Date:                                    
Areas
EXCELLENT
GOOD
Emerging
NOT
SATISFACTORY
Bad or Missing
Grade
Title,Name
Date
You have all 3 with a creative title
All 3
Most
One
0
Intro
Great set and advanced organizer: Engages the reader’s attention and details the purpose and order of the paper   
Starts with some set with an overview of the paper    
There is some purpose noted to the paper but not detailed well
Confusing introduction  
0
Background Positionaly
Describes how your stories and background (age, gender, race, cultural, educational) shape your values. You acknowledge real or associational (implicit) biases you may bring to this issue.
You state biographical details with some links to biases and frames you may bring to the issue.
You review some identifiers and some potential influences on the issues.    
Poor details and no significant link made to the issues
0
Case or Issue
You give 1-2 paragraph detailed statement of the issue and why it merits your time and attention and the interest of others. You mention the issue throughout the paper removing ambiguity of what issues you are addressing 
You provide a statement of what the case or the issue is about, having mentioned it in other parts of the paper. 
Your issue is stated the paper but leave out important details
Provides a vague statement of what issue you are addressing
0
Position on Case or Issue
You state how the ethics of the issue appear to you and how you think an ethical handling of the case looks like. You suggest how this would work out in policy and what moral values your approach upholds. 
You explain your position related to the case or issue
You provide some ideas about how you would handle this case or issue
You have a vague statement of your position on this issue
0
Other positions
You explain others views on this topic, using reliable and scholarly resources to state their best arguments, enumerating clinical (practice) benefits as well as policy or legal implications for these other approach(es)
You explain other positions related to the case or issue in a reasonable way. 
You provide some ideas about how others would approach this case or issue
You have a vague statement of the position of others
0
Synthesis
Conclusion
There are strong unifying themes in the paper and you bring those together well in a final conclusion
Some connections are made throughout the paper and you mention those in the conclusion
Your connections and conclusions have marginal consistency
It has disjointed gaps between components and a poor conclusion
0
Readings
Midterm: You use course textbooks and readings to explain and illuminate your paper
Final: In addition course material, you use 3 outside sources frequently throughout  
Midterm: You use class resources throughout the paper
Final: You use a few textbook sources and 2 outside sources throughout the paper
Midterm: You use class resources throughout the paper
Final: You use a few textbook sources and 2 outside sources throughout the paper
Only 1-2 citations are made anywhere in the paper
0
APA  (cite, reference)
Consistent formatting with 1-2 minor mistake in format, citation, and references.  
Consistent citing and referencing with 3-7 mistakes    
Consistent formatting with 8-10 mistakes
11-15 mistakes in the document.  
0
Editing/
Polishing
Consistently well- developed paragraphs, logical sentences, great transitions, excellent word choice and good grammar   
Mostly logical paragraphs and sentences, good transitions, clear word choice and good grammar 
Understandable sentences, but inadequate use of transitions, word choice and grammar
Many problems with logic, transitions, word choice and/or grammar
0
Starters and sample sections….
My Changing Views on Abortion from Teen to Older Adult
Name Duane Covrig
Date March 31 2024
Introduction
One of my lab partners in high school freshman biology was a young girl from a rural area near our small town high school. She was white, tall, quiet but engaging, and a cheerleader for junior varsity teams. She seemed to do well in our class. She got along well with others. Halfway through the semester, she stopped coming to class and school.  The rumor was that she had gotten pregnant with one of the varsity football players. He was still coming to school, but she wasn’t. We heard she was trying to decide if she would take advantage of legal abortions and have an abortion against the wishes of her religious family members or keep the baby to full term. It was my first encounter with an “unplanned” pregnancies and the idea of an untimely or unwanted baby.
In this paper, I review my moral thinking and beliefs on abortion. First, I review my positionality related to this topic. I especially talk about my gender, age, socioeconomic status and religious identity as they influence my approach to this case and abortion in general. Then I share two moral stories from my past related to this topic that most guide the values I bring to this issue. I then briefly review what the abortion topic is about, why it is important to me and why I think others should also thoughtfully process this issue. I then share three layers of my approach to this issues: a personal, a religious community approach and social policy approach to this issue. I then gives some alternative views to mine and supporting arguments for those. I end with a synthesizing conclusion. 
My Positionality Related to Abortion
I approach morality and abortion in particular as a white male in my late 60s who grew up in a California middle class Seventh-day Adventist family. My dad was an elementary teacher and my mom a nurse/school nurse. Both had four year degrees and even graduate school. My k-12 education was in public schools but my BA and MA were from Adventist schools and were on religion. My commitment to the image of God in all humans has made me a strong believer in the dignity of humans, even preborn humans.  [this where I would quotes some SDA Belief 7 on human natures}. 
However, as a father of two young women, I am also concerned about abuse women receive, including rape, that often motivates them to pursue abortion….. {This is where I would bring in some stats about abortion}
Case or Issue
I have selected to talk about abortion because it is both a long term legal, moral and healthcare issue impacting millions of people a year. Research suggests that it is ……..   I have a personal interest in this as my religious tradition has a strong pro-life approach to the topic and in the U.S. this prolife stance has been fading with each younger generation (Cite, 2022). …
Position on Case or Issue
In this section, I give my response to my high school biology class acquaintance and share what I would have shared with her had she asked. I also then explain how I would counsel such a person. I then explain how I would suggest a Christian Adventist health system manage this issues and how I see that differently than a US policy on abortion…  {1.5-2 pages is enough}
Alternative Views on Abortion
In 2023, Ohioans voted to protect reproductive rights in the state. This shows a strong support for abortion in many in Ohio, suggesting most favor the individual making their own decisions about abortion. One of the strongest presentations of this position is…. [then I would use 3 solid resources to present a view that is different than mine]
Synthesis & Conclusion
In this paper I have analyzed three levels of views on abortion and how I position myself with respect abortion. First….    
References
Rubric
Ethics Final Paper
Ethics Final Paper
Criteria Ratings
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDescription of criterion
Full Marks
No Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFaith-Affective-3
Friendly description goes here
Exceeds Outcome
Meets Outcome
Meets elements of Outcome
Does not meet Outcome
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFaith-Cognitive-4
Friendly description goes here
Exceeds Outcome
Meets Outcome
Meets elements of Outcome
Does not meet Outcome
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRELP 254 – MORALITY & MEDICINE: CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON BIOETHICAL F-A3
Reflect on your religious beliefs and values as they pertain to ethical dilemmas in the healthcare setting.
Exceeds Mastery
Mastery
Near Mastery
Below Mastery
No Evidence
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSCM – 4
Students will make effective and ethical use of their own spiritual narrative to offer spiritual care to others using intentional spiritual care skills.
Exceeds Outcome
Meets Outcome
Meets some elements of Outcome
Does not meet Outcome
No Submission
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