CALDERON Catholic Views on the Beginning and End of Life

Pacifico Eric Eusebio Calderon, M.D.Bioethics 2

Catholic Views on the Beginning and End of

Life

OutlineNatural LawHumanae VitaeDeclaration on EuthanasiaEvangelium VitaeSpecific Issues

Natural Law Aristotle: There is in nature a common

principle of the just and unjust that all people in some way discern

Cicero: The highest reason, implanted in nature

  Thomas Aquinas: a rule of reason

promulgated by God, in man’s nature, whereby man can discern how he should act.

Natural LawMain precept: Good is to be done and

pursued, and evil is avoidedto seek the goodto preserve himself in existenceto preserve the species (unite sexually)to live in community with othersto use his intellect and will to know the truth

and make his own decisions

Humanae VitaeWritten by Pope Paul VI in 1968“The transmission of human life is a most

serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator.”

This provides a new and deeper reflection on the principles of the moral teaching on marriage.

Humanae Vitae“Marriage and conjugal love are by their

nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare.”

“Human life is sacred—all men must recognize that fact”

Humanae VitaeFundamental to Catholic bioethics is a

belief in the sanctity of life: the value of a human life, as a creation of God and a gift in trust, is beyond human evaluation and authority.

Thomas Aquinas: human life as a basic good that cannot be made subject to utilitarian estimation

Declaration on EuthanasiaIssued by the Sacred Congregation for the

Doctrine of the Faith in 1980

Declaration on Euthanasia No one can make an attempt on the life of an

innocent person without opposing God's love for that person, without violating a fundamental right, and therefore without committing a crime of the utmost gravity.

Everyone has the duty to lead his or her life in accordance with God's plan. That life is entrusted to the individual as a good that must bear fruit already here on earth, but that finds its full perfection only in eternal life.

Declaration on EuthanasiaIntentionally causing one's own

death, or suicide, is therefore equally as wrong as murder; such an action on the part of a person is to be considered as a rejection of God's sovereignty and loving plan

Declaration on EuthanasiaSuffering during the last moments of life,

has a special place in God's saving plan; it is in fact a sharing in Christ's passion and a union with the redeeming sacrifice which He offered in obedience to the Father's will.

EvangeliumVitaewritten by Pope John Paul II in 1995to proclaim the good news of the value and

dignity of each human life, of its grandeur and worth, also in its temporal phase

EvangeliumVitaeThere is a perverse idea of freedomFocus on practical materialism

Talks about life as a gift from Creatorcreated in the image and likeness of God

Life is sacred from its beginning to its end

EvangeliumVitae“Thou shall not kill” Talks about direct abortion and

interventions on human embryoEuthanasia, which is defined as

"an act or omission which of itself and by intention causes death with the purpose of eliminating all suffering," and

is carefully distinguished from so-called "aggressive medical treatment" and from "methods of palliative care"

Specific IssuesAbortionStem Cell Research (Using

Embryos/Fetuses)In vitro fertilization and heterologous

fertilization Prenatal genetic testing/genetic screeningSuicide/Assisted Suicide

Specific IssuesRepeated resuscitationPersistent Vegetative State (PVS)EuthanasiaTerminal sedationWithdrawal of medical support