The session examines the integration of spiritual beliefs, ethical principles, and health advocacy in addressing socio-political and health crises. The first paper explores how Buddhist teachings and AI ethics can guide bioethical decision-making in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The second paper analyzes the lived experiences of Korean immigrants in the U.S., highlighting the spiritual and cultural influences on prenatal care practices. The third paper assesses the role of violence in Haiti from historical and contemporary perspectives, exploring how healthcare workers utilize liberative medicine to combat health and political instability. Collectively, these studies emphasize the importance of culturally and contextually informed approaches for resolving complex global challenges, advocating for a synthesis of faith, ethics, and advocacy in public health and policy.
This paper will argue hat religious teachings can provide can offer helpful, multidimensional perspectives to these discussions - the work of a non-profit, Artificial Intelligence and Faith (AIF) will be presented as a helpful model of the engagement of faith communities with AI. As part of this exploration, the paper will focus in on Buddhist teachings. Drawing on both Buddhist canonical sources and contemporary teachings and scholarship, this paper will explore some examples of how Buddhist theory and practice can offer insights, conceptual analysis and practical wisdom for skillfully navigating in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the context of bioethics.
This qualitative study investigates the experiences of Korean immigrants with taegyo (“prenatal education”), targeting 30 participants and focusing on 'lived religion.' Taegyo, a traditional Korean prenatal practice influenced by spiritual and cultural beliefs, reflects a unique blend of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Christianity. Through in-depth interviews, this study aims to understand how Korean immigrants integrate these spiritual practices into their prenatal care within the U.S. cultural context. Data will be analyzed using modified grounded theory to underline the importance of integrating immigrant experiences and spiritual practices into healthcare, promoting more inclusive and culturally sensitive care. This investigation contributes to the broader understanding of the intersection between spirituality, immigration, health, and lived religion. The study highlights the importance of recognizing patients' lived religion to provide optimal reproductive care for immigrant populations of color.
Centuries ago, violence in Haiti was used as a tool by the enslaved population against European oppressors to fight for freedom and human dignity. In the 2020’s, violence continues to be used, but by Haitians against one another, to bring global attention to dehumanizing and dismal conditions in which the majority of the nation lives. Caught between gangs and politicians, a government in absentia, and global powers that have exacerbated harsh living conditions are healthcare workers continuing to model accompaniment to a beleaguered citizenry fighting for basic health. Modeled after the late Dr. Paul Farmer, this paper seeks to analyze the model of liberative medicine practiced by health workers in Haiti as they continue fighting the physical and political fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic that both exacerbated poor health conditions and a deteriorating government. Through their example, a model of health advocacy amid physical and political chaos has the potential to improve health promotion in other nations facing unending violence.