Herbert, Dilinie This article reports on the experiences of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting for women living in countries where it is widespread and for those who migrate to Western countries. It explores the attitudes that shape the ongoing practice of FGM/C and the role of female hierarchy in sustaining these customs in practising communities. In particular, it investigates the dialogue between health professionals in Western countries like Australia and women presenting for antenatal care. This includes conversations around de-infibulation.

Herbert, Dilinie The lived experiences of prisoners and the delivery of healthcare into this population raise important ethical issues. The prison population is made up largely of people who have experienced social and economic disadvantage, and who often have a diagnosed mental health condition. International and national authorities recognise that the health needs of prisoners are complex but that slow progress is being made to reform and improve existing practices. This article will demonstrate that alongside the provision of primary care, (...) healthcare in prisons must also focus on the social and psychological issues and behaviours of prisoners in order to prevent recidivism. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie As part of the Inquiry into End of Life Choices, commissioned by the Victorian State Government on 7 May 2015, members of the community were invited to share their attitudes towards assisted dying by written submissions. The Inquiry also hosted a panel discussion with a few selected respondents. The final report prepared by the Inquiry is a comprehensive document that identified common themes relating to the benefits and concerns about a possible assisted dying framework. Some respondents used the (...) opportunity to advocate in favour of palliative care services and advance care planning. There were other respondents that were apprehensive about possible changes to the law and wary that it could incite permissible practices of assisted death in Victoria which are in contradiction to existing ethical beliefs, values and norms. Their anxiety was in relation to a potential slippery slope effect of these laws in the future. In this article I will explore how the slippery slope effect has been used to criticise euthanasia legislation, using data from the Netherlands. Although there are indications that the slippery slope is apparent in the Netherlands, there are also contrary indications that are otherwise open for interpretation. I propose that the Inquiry was a valuable opportunity to reflect on community attitudes towards assisted death and that the recommendations to better resource palliative care services, is a positive outcome. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie Clinical ethics services exist or are being established in many healthcare institutions around the world. There is growing interest in Australia to follow this international trend, and resources have been developed to support the establishment of clinical ethics services in Australian institutions. When a clinical ethics service is being developed in an institution, important steps include involving key staff, gaining executive support, and identifying champions who will promote the service within the organisation. The success of a clinical ethics (...) service depends predominately on its capacity to address ethically challenging situations through multi-disciplinary insight, and on the support and engagement of the health professionals within the relevant healthcare institution. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie This article reviews Exploring the Connections: Catholic social teaching and the social determinants of health, edited by Martin Laverty and Liz Callaghan. The social determinants of health are "those conditions in which we live, grow and age, that can affect our health and well-being." Catholic social teaching is "the Church's teaching about the ordering of life in society and about the attainment of individual and social justice." "It comprises theological and philosophical traditions from biblical and ancient sources taken (...) up and developed throughout the Christian era." This book draws on both concepts to fashion a health care resource that will add to our knowledge and understanding of the lived experiences of disadvantaged people, and - more importantly - our appreciation of ways in which this disadvantage can be overcome. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie Dignity Therapy provides patients with a terminal illness the opportunity to share their life experiences. Their life narrative is reflected upon, shared, transcribed, and later bequeathed to their family and friends. The generativity document produced as a result of Dignity Therapy is a declaration and a lasting legacy, a manuscript that holds meaning and makes meaning at a point in life when people may feel a sense of despair and loss. This article will follow the development of Dignity (...) Therapy, and why it should be acknowledged as an integral aspect of end-of-life care for patients, their families and friends, and healthcare professionals. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie The Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa is a tragedy of mass proportions. It has afflicted a region with poor public health infrastructure, communities fearful of medical intervention due to past atrocities, and in a situation where the people are protective of themselves and their families. As the death toll continues to rise, experimental treatments are being offered as a solution. The widespread use and management of these treatments is a challenge due to the social and cultural (...) structures that exists in these communities. An approach that is sensitive to these experiences needs to be observed. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie Christmas is a special time in the Christian calendar. The Christmas story begins with a heavily pregnant Mary riding on the back of a donkey alongside her husband into the city of Bethlehem. Their search for board to see them till the morning is futile. A somewhat kind Inn keeper shows them to his stable, where the animals are accommodated.. That night Mary gives birth to baby Jesus and she lays the newborn down in a manger. The Inn (...) is symbolic of prosperity for those fortunate to share in its comforts. To have to reside instead in the stable reflects that there is not space in the Inn and some people, for not immediately apparent reasons, live on the outside. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie How should health professionals respond if a patient nearing the end of life expresses a wish to hasten their death? To answer this question, this article draws upon peer‐reviewed literature, the practices of palliative care, and the experiences of two palliative care physicians, Associate Professor Natasha Michael and Associate Professor Mark Boughey. The expression of a wish to hasten death does not necessarily imply a genuine desire to hasten death or to be helped to die. To the contrary, (...) almost always this means that the patient has been overwhelmed by one or more serious concerns. While inadequate pain relief may be one such factor, more typically these concerns are social and spiritual, such as loneliness, social isolation, feeling oneself to be a burden on others, hopelessness, and fears about the process of dying. If a patient expresses a wish to hasten death, health professionals should therefore discuss with them the reasons for this request, and then devise and effectively communicate an individualised care plan which begins to address these concerns. (shrink)

Herbert, Dilinie The Zika virus has dominated the news media and captured the attention of the international community. Epidemic disease has become the mainstay of public health emergencies in our recent past with Ebola virus in West Africa and now Zika virus in Latin America. An unexpected and troubling feature of this current outbreak is the high incidence of birth defects and neurological health complications. As scientists investigate a possible causal link, health authorities as well as Catholic Church leaders are (...) involved in communicating how women and the wider community should make decisions about their health, reproduction and pregnancy. A morally appropriate, culturally sensitive and socially inclusive approach to managing the immanent risk should be the priority. (shrink)