Editorial 

Created for the May 2018 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics this editorial piece was designed and illustrated to communicate the ethics behind decision making based on miracles.

When creating this cover for, “Responding to Those Who Hope for a Miracle” the goal was to communicate miracle and religious invocation within the healthcare setting. Most importantly, I was looking to create an illustration that dignified the concept. A miracle is, in essence, hope and hope can be clearly echoed through the act of prayer. The rosary depicted embodies this act and replaces the surgical instrument of this illustration just as many might replace invasive treatments for the hope of a miracle. I chose the surgical field as the setting and perspective for this piece placing the viewer into a dire and very active medical situation were lives are at stake and many often turn to the hope of miracles to aid in their medical decision-making process. The surgical lights, like many religious paintings, play as halos over the surgeon’s hands as they work over the open field passing instruments between each other. It is through these visual metaphors that this cover is meant to evoke a sense of miracle invocation and how decision makers are using their religion to influence care within the healthcare environment.