Ask a Catholic Bioethicist: Making Sound Healthcare Decisions

(Note: For many years I have happily advised family and friends and colleagues on Church teaching and making morally sound decisions involving the application of Catholic Bioethics principles to health care.  I have also taught university courses in healthcare ethics and bioethics based on several years of advanced graduate studies in bioethics.  What follows here and in future articles is a series of questions and answers on Making the Right Decisions involving the application of Catholic Bioethics to many healthcare issues that impact all of us, sooner or later.  The provided answers are purposely brief in order to provide basic and essential understandings.)

Question 1: What is Catholic Bioethics, and Why Is It Important?

Answer: Catholic Bioethics is a discipline and teaching approach to applying sound Catholic moral principles to biological research and experimentation.  It is also used even more so in providing guidance to people in making morally sound decisions involving their healthcare and/or the healthcare of others.

Catholic Bioethics is important because it makes use of Catholic moral principles so that a person following such teaching can be assured of faithfully honoring God in appreciation for the gift of life He has granted to all of us.

Question 2: What is the foundational understanding or consideration that informs all of Catholic Bioethics?

Answer: Among the many principles of Catholic Bioethics, one overriding consideration is and must always be emphasized, and that is the full recognition of and protection of the inherent dignity and sacredness of every human being whose souls are made directly by God and thereby share in the likeness of God.

Accordingly, any biological or medical action that does not respect the inherent dignity of a human being cannot be a moral one according to Catholic Bioethics, and it must not be undertaken for any reason.

Question 3: What are some of the topics and issues that will be discussed in future articles?

Answer: Some of the more important issues and concerns regarding people in the pews will be covered.  These include things like contraception and abortion, euthanasia, body mutilation, making decisions in conflict situations, surrogacy, end of life care, doctor responsibilities, choosing morally upright doctors, suicide, participation in immoral health care, participation in immoral research, and many others.