Students at the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy receive instructions in diverse subjects including apologetics, epistemology, world view and ethics. During our three-hour ethics dialogue, students were placed in groups and assigned questions to examine, and where possible, to solve. Their mission was to break down the issues presented by each question into their various component parts, identify the critical available facts, search for applicable biblical laws and principles, and attempt to determine a policy result which is consistent with Scripture.

The following question (paraphrased) presented at the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy requiries the student to examine a host of foundational ethical issues, and the implications of their conclusions, including the question: “According to Scripture, may we kill one individual to save another individual where both are innocent non-aggressors, and if so, may Christians use a ‘quality of life’ argument to determine who should live and who should die?”

A sonogram reveals the existence of Siamese twins who share a heart. Doctors indicate that both will likely eventually die unless they are separated sometime after birth. Separation means determining which one will keep the heart and which one will die. Using only the Bible as a guide for ethics, what is the correct ethical course of action. Are there additional facts one must determine to make a biblically solid, informed decision?