Already a subscriber? - Login here
Not yet a subscriber? - Subscribe here

Browse by:



Displaying: 1-20 of 24 documents


1. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 12
Andrew St. Stephanos

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
The human person is both biological and transcendent, and it is necessary to see this reality to respect and protect all human beings. The inviolable dignity of every human being from fertilization until death is key to building a bridge between disparate philosophies of human nature. In this article, Andrew St. Stephanos proposes a starting point for building an understanding between rival philosophical factions by first understanding the nature of Man.

2. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 12
John F. Brehany

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
This article is fourth in a series on the Ethical and Religious Directives, examining their formation, structure, and potential revisions to the directives. Part three, “The Professional—Patient Relationship,” is the focus of this installment. It covers directives specific to caring for individuals, as well as new issues that have arisen since the last major revision of the directives. This article gives valuable insight on both the past and potential future of the ERDs.

3. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 11
Thomas Pirog

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
The creeping expansion of euthanasia around the world, but especially in the West, is a concern for any moral theologian. This expansion has already reached beyond the elderly into younger and objectively healthier groups, including children. The stance of the Catholic Church is that euthanasia is never permissible and must combat philosophies and laws that support it as fervently as possible.

4. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 11
Molly Antone

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Dying today looks dramatically different than it did a century ago, largely due to wider treatment options and more specialized medical practices. Often missing from these advancements is the focus on factors relative to a patient’s total circumstances. Especially in light of the recent pandemic, it is incumbent upon Catholic health care providers to treat who whole person rather than simply focus on more utilitarian philosophies of care.

5. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 10
Marie T. Hilliard

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Palliative care and hospice, while distinct programs, are quite often given to the same individuals. The complexities of achieving goal-oriented care often lead to utilitarian ethics in health care, particularly as societal respect for human life and dignity weakens. This article examines these complexities with a particular emphasis on ensuring personalized care from physicians who know the goals of the patient.

6. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 10
John F. Brehany

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
This article is the third part in an examination of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Facilities. This installment explores the second section of the most recent edition of the ERDs, discussing what changes were made and why. It also discusses how the ERDs might change in the next edition and what issues will need to be addressed, as well as the best structure in which to present them.

7. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 9
Thomas H. Fischer, Carr J. Smith

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Gain of function research is a little known and controversial area of study in virology. Though there is some disagreement in the exact definition of gain of function, the process involves modifying animal viruses to infect human cells for the purposes of advancing the understanding of the way viruses mutate. This article examines the controversy, with particular consideration of the COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis, exploring the danger of creating such modified viruses.

8. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 9
John F. Brehany

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
This article is the second part in an examination of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Facilities. This installment explores the first section of the most recent edition of the ERDs, discussing what changes were made and why. It also discusses how the ERDs might change in the next edition and what issues will need to be addressed, as well as the best structure in which to present them.

9. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 8
John F. Brehany

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Since their inception in 1948, The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) have guided Catholic health care ministries in the United States, aiding in the application of Catholic moral tradition to modern health care delivery. The ERDs have undergone two major revisions in that time, with about twenty years separating each revision. The first came in 1971 and the second came twenty-six years ago, in 1995. As such, a third major revision is due and will likely be undertaken soon.

10. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 8
Rev. Benedict M. Guevin, OSB

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Ulpian was an influential name in the history of Roman law and beyond. His definition of Natural Law, while a source of some controversy in the thirteenth century, greatly influenced St. Thomas Aquinas’s own definition. This paper explores that influence, its origins, and its implications in Aquinas’s most famous writings.

11. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 7
Derek McDonald

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
At least one million human embryos are currently in cryopreservation in the United States alone. The Catholic Church expressly denounces this practice, but there is no satisfying solution. New arguments have arisen in the scientific community that these embryos should be made available for research, reflecting a utilitarian view of human life, which is counter to Catholic teaching on human dignity and must be resisted by the faithful. Instead, the solution to cryopreservation must respect the lives of these embryos and give others the opportunity to learn from and pray for them.

12. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 7
Edward J. Furton

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has created a paradox in the treatment of gender dysphoria, in part by redefining the disorder. The new definition implies that the individual’s body, not his or her mind, is disordered, regardless of whether the body shows any sign of abnormal development. Thus, the manual has created a situation where a perfectly healthy body is considered disordered, while a mind that perceives that healthy body to be wrongly sexed is considered healthy. This leads to erroneous and dangerous treatment of the individual.

13. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 6
Andrew S. Kubick

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
In March 2021, New Mexico became the ninth state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. This practice, which allows medical professionals to aid in the intentional death of their patients, is counter to Catholic teaching. As such, it raises concerns regarding the conscience rights of Catholic physicians, as well as physicians who are morally opposed to the practice. In particular, while there ostensibly are protections for those who object, the requirement for physicians unwilling to aid in the deaths of their patients to refer said patients to physicians who will, essentially compels individuals to participate in an act that is intrinsically evil.

14. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 6
Jozef Zalot

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Five months into the Biden presidency, the administration has demonstrated a dedication to expanding access to and funding for abortion both in the United States and abroad. This is antithetical to the administration’s repeated claim that President Biden is a devout Catholic, as abortion is considered an intrinsic evil under Catholic teaching. His appointments, executive actions, and proposed budget all suggest that the administration will accept no limits on abortion and will, in fact, work to expand both funding and access throughout his presidency.

15. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 5
Charles C. Camosy

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Attempts to find cures for neurological diseases include research proposals to create better neural organoids and neural chimeras. The primary ethical issues involved here are not so much about neural organoids, but chimeric research. Embryonic chimeras are created with human neural information such that a nonhuman animal would grow human neural components. The older frameworks surrounding animal ethics in medical research are ethically impoverished and thus are not suited to evaluating this emerging research. Consequently, we need more discussion of newer, more comprehensive frameworks that accept and provide for what is necessary for an animal to be the kind of thing that it is. Our success in finding a cure for neurological diseases will dramatically affect the lives of dozens of millions of human beings. But it is precisely when the stakes are highest that we need to be most careful about not discarding important ethical boundaries.

16. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 5
Rev. W. Jerome Bracken, CP

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
In two addresses given during 1957, Pope Pius XII gave key magisterial teach regarding ordinary and extraordinary means of treatment. The Pope carefully worked out that the duty of providing necessary treatment for the preservation of life and health relates to the ends for which one acts, and the liceity of providing or withdrawing treatment is contingent on whether this transgresses a moral obligation related to these ends: those that concern life and health and those that are spiritual. Thus, caring for the seriously ill should be for one’s life on earth and with God now and in eternity, and the means of treatment must be able to achieve these good purposes and be suitable to the conditions of the ill person and caregivers.

17. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 4
Joseph Meaney

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
COVID-19 vaccine passports run the risk of creating a divided society where social privileges or restrictions based on “fitness” lead to discrimination based on immunization status. Individuals have a strong right to be free of coercion to take a COVID-19 vaccine, and we should be very leery of further invasion of private medical decisions. These concerns are shared both internationally and in the United States, and the World Health Organization, the Biden administration, and many US governors oppose COVID-19 vaccine credentials. In addition, regulations for COVID-19 vaccine credentials face practical barriers, including lack of access globally, especially among the poor; and lack of scientific data on the efficacy of these vaccines.

18. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 4
Rev. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, OP

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
Although COVID-19 vaccine credentials for international travel are an unwelcome or dangerous concept to some in the developed world, such measures are an essential component of global public health in some of the poorest countries of the world, in particular to prevent the spread of yellow fever. If one accepts the liceity of vaccine credentials for yellow fever in the developing world, then one has to do the same with similar credentials for COVID-19. A COVID-19 vaccine credential will allow developing countries to reopen their borders and economies long before they can attain herd immunity. It will be a lifeline for economies that have been ravaged by the global pandemic. It will be part of the global common good.

19. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 4
Joseph Meaney

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
This essay clarifies the author’s objections to COVID-19 vaccine credentials voiced in “The Ethics of COVID-19 Vaccine Passports.” The author’s objections centered on discriminatory practices based on vaccine status for domestic social and work activities, but he agrees with the World Health Organization that these credentials should not be required for international travel. In addition, there is a significant ethical different between currently available COVID-19 vaccines and the yellow fever vaccine because the former are produced or tested using abortion-derived cell lines. The yellow fever vaccine is much less ethically problematic. This situation could change with the approval of new COVID-19 vaccines without links to abortion-derived cell lines.

20. Ethics & Medics: Volume > 46 > Issue: 3
Rev. W. Jerome Bracken, CP

abstract | view |  rights & permissions | cited by
A theological and historical background is needed for understanding the terms ordinary and extraordinary regarding the care required for one seriously ill. This background is theological, since one’s care is directed to our life on earth and our ultimate happiness that comes from God. So, one needs the knowledge given by God in revelation and in natural law written in our hearts. Besides our own powers of acting, we need the help of others as well as of God, through his grace and sacraments. The historical view is given because situations change, and so our judgment must change. In God’s law, one must eat to live but not if it becomes a torture. Domingo de Soto gave the name ordinary for the former and extraordinary for the latter. With the arrival of anesthesia and antiseptics, the pain and terrible outcomes, which made amputation an extraordinary means, no longer did so.