Founded in 1984, the Center for Christian Bioethics (CCB) at Loma Linda University is one of the longest-serving bioethics centers in the country. Throughout its history, the CCB has produced scholarly work in bioethics from a Christian perspective with a particular emphasis on the Seventh-day Adventist tradition. In the spirit of its founding director, Dr. Jack Provonsha, the CCB’s work has been facilitated by collaborative relationships with Loma Linda University’s Schools of Religion and Medicine, as well as with the multiple medical facilities that now comprise Loma Linda University Health (LLUH). This close collaboration has resulted in national recognition for connecting scholarly work in bioethics with clinical application.
Since the Center’s founding, healthcare has changed in dramatic ways because of the introduction of new medical technologies, modifications of government policies and shifting cultural attitudes. More than ever, Adventist-affiliated hospitals are called to respond to complex ethical issues in ways that preserve organizational integrity and alignment with the mission of the Adventist church. Practices such as physician aid in dying, assisted human procreation, gender reassignment and genomic medicine are just a few examples from the current list of issues requiring thoughtful responses. After many conversations with hospital administrators and church leaders, the CCB’s leadership team discerned the pressing need for a coordinated response from Adventist hospitals across the nation.
This need was made apparent by the CCB’s experience with physician aid in dying. The number of states allowing this practice has doubled in the last three years, including the heavily publicized California statute, the End of Life Option Act (EOLA) in 2016. As hospital administrators in California grappled with how to respond to EOLA, they consulted with leaders of Adventist hospitals in states with legalized physician aid in dying. It became evident that a network could have facilitated efficient sharing of resources, encouraged dialogue and collaborated on policy. The CCB wants to meet this need by leading in the creation of the Adventist Bioethics Consortium (ABC), an association for hospitals affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist church for the purpose of sharing knowledge, advancing scholarship and enhancing ethical leadership. Adventist-affiliated hospitals in U.S. provide more than 1.2 million inpatient hospital admissions per year, and many times this number of outpatient visits, representing a significant segment of the national hospital sector. The ABC would serve as the link between the Adventist church’s health ministries leadership and Adventist- affiliated hospitals with the expected result of a more consistent message regarding state-of-the-art care, compassionate healing and ethical responsibility.