1. LIVING THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
Faith- Based Bioethics
Our Health - Our Faith - Our Life
Prof. Andrew Trew
St. Mary Seminary Cleveland
9/18/2018
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2. Defining Human Life: Faith or Science ?
Defined by faith:
“We are not some casual & meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.”
(Pope Benedict XVI ,2005)
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3. Defining Human Life: The Scientific View:
Life defined by Science 2007:
- life: evolved by chance ( Gould)
- in a pointless universe(Weinberg)
- dance to DNA’s ‘music’(Dawkins)
- ‘Extreme’ Darwinism: genetically
driven humans lead to
- Scientism: ‘faith in science”
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4. Life : A Commodity? Science rejecting life as beyond price?
It’s My Life: test of quality / usefulness.
“Life is a commodity.” Matter vs.Mater.
Personhood & sliding scales of human value/dignity.
Embryos as future life / clump of cells.
Assisted Reproduction : babies on demand & by right/ better babies.
Stem Cells:Embryonic/Adult/Cord Blood
Improve life : genetics/post humans.
Control over Death : assisted suicide.
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5. Life: Beyond Price?
“God alone is the Lord of Life from its beginning until its end.” (Catechism par. 2258) Humans more than sum of our genes: biological/spiritual/ image of God.
“Every man,whether poor or rich, sick, suffering, apparently useless or unimportant, born or unborn, incurably ill or brimming over with health and energy, is an image of God, bears in himself God’s breath. This is the most profound reason for the inviolability of human dignity .” ( Cardinal J Ratzinger.1994)
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6. The Gospel of Life (John Paul II. 1995)
“When the sense of God is lost…life becomes a mere ‘thing’ which man claims as his exclusive property completely subject to his control and manipulation…programming,controlling and dominating life and death .’
Oppose… ‘complete relativism {when} everything is negotiable…even the first …fundamental right, the right to life.’
Promote : a ‘Culture of Life’ outlawing abortion/ embryo research/ assisted reproduction/ mercy killing / euthanasia.
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7. Faith in Bioethics Science says ‘we can do almost anything”.
Bioethics : helps resolve ethical dilemma: if we can do something ought we to do it ?
Context: medical treatment/ care.
Faith Based Bioethics: ethics derived from religious/moral teaching of e.g. Christian/Jewish/Muslim faith.
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8. Bioethics 101
Patient-Doctor Relationship: legal / moral basis. Business of Medicine.
Medical Duty : do no harm / save life /cure & care. Explain Treatment (Canterbury case,except ER “best interest.” standard)+ consent.
Patients Rights: freely accept/ refuse/ withdraw from treatments. Autonomy. Bouvia case.
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9. Catholic Bioethics Reflects Church teaching: promote life .
Needs: updated training of priests/ medical professionals/patients.
A) In Catholic Health Care Facilities.
Administrators/Doctors/ Nurses comply with ‘Ethical & Religious Directives’…
no abortion/ contraception /assisted reproduction/ euthanasia.
B) In Secular Facilities: a) merged with Catholic facility b) care for Catholics.
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10. Living the Gospel of Life
Valuing dignity of the person from conception to death.
Embryos: Biology accepts that embryo is human & instruction manual for humans in place from ‘day one’.
No Research on Embryos: “Immoral to produce embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.”(Catechism 2275) so…
Embryonic Stem Cell Research : is immoral. Using Adult and Cord Blood cells approved.
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11. Stem Cell Research
Catholics:Research using adult cells/cord blood approved.
Catholic Cord Blood Banks?
Adult stem cell research success.
Political issue: Missouri …Ohio?
BOGO Wines.
$$ will follow embryo research ?
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12. Assisted Reproduction
‘Techno –affairs”: H & W infertile.Borrow sperm from X . Child is 50 % theirs.
Family impact: children may have three or even four ‘parents’.
Right to reproduce:healthy singles/ posthumous reproduction.
Catechism : ‘gravely immoral/unacceptable’ (2376-7)
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13. Assisted Reproduction
Divorces relationships from reproduction;interferes with unitive nature of marriage.
Child conceived outside the body, ‘manufacturing’ life.
Motive: overcoming infertility / reproductive rights for singles /married/ gay. ‘Baby on demand’. ‘Better’ baby.
Surpluses of eggs/ sperm and embryos in unregulated assisted reproduction centers . Embryos in stem cell research .
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14. Human Cloning
Unsafe: Animal cloning problems e.g sheep Dolly. Cloning defects may reproduce in humans.
UN Convention: no cloned humans
‘Weird’ families: H & W infertile so clone themselves. Their ‘children’ are their twins and could marry !
Xerox genetic ‘mini me’?
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15. Gospel of Life at the End of Life
No suicide or assistance to die/no ‘right to die’ (Supreme Court).
Doing Unto Others:clear/compelling evidence (Cruzan & Schiavo cases).
Living Wills only cover limited close to death ( not ER) cases ‘terminally ill’/ ‘permanently unconscious’.
Power of Attorney referred.Person at bedside to fight for you .
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16. Assisted Suicide
Illegal under Hippocratic oath/State laws/ Codes of Practice/ Supreme Court./Gospel of Life .
Oregon Law : 200+ assisted suicides.
Kevorkian: in Jail.Culture of Death,’assists’ 130+ to die .
Distinguish: double effect/nature taking course /withdraw life support.
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17. Life Support
Declaration on Euthanasia(1980) can withdraw life support in futile cases where burdens exceed benefits. Suffering: personal level.
Not a way to commit suicide.
PVS Patients/ John Paul II letter & 2007 CDF: food and water required/ PVS patient not dying.
Schiavo Case.
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18. Gospel of Life :Action Support life from beginning to end.
Lobby local national politicians
Support Human Life International
Priests for Life
Internet : zenit.org/ewtn/vatican.va
Lifeworks: Ohio pro life .
Prayers for life/rosary/Catechism
Evangelization: “Be not afraid!”
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