Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- PART 1 FOUNDATIONS OF CATHOLIC ETHICS
- PART II GRACE AT THE HEART OF VIRTUE
- PART III CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
- PART IV BIOETHICS
- 10 The Dignity of the Human Person
- 11 Beginning of Life Decisions
- 12 End of Life Decisions
- Epilogue
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
11 - Beginning of Life Decisions
from PART IV - BIOETHICS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2015
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- PART 1 FOUNDATIONS OF CATHOLIC ETHICS
- PART II GRACE AT THE HEART OF VIRTUE
- PART III CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
- PART IV BIOETHICS
- 10 The Dignity of the Human Person
- 11 Beginning of Life Decisions
- 12 End of Life Decisions
- Epilogue
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Church's commitment to human dignity inspires an abiding concern for the sanctity of human life from its very beginning, and with the dignity of marriage and of the marriage act by which human life is transmitted.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services Introduction to Part IVIn this chapter, we analyze bioethical topics having to do with the beginning of life. The main focus is on contraception, abortion, and commercial surrogacy. Our goal is to gain clarity as to the Catholic teaching and to see how these teachings are grounded in the principle of universal human dignity examined in the previous chapter. I wish to say that I am aware that these issues, particularly the first two, can evoke strong reactions whether on the part of those who affirm the Catholic teachings or from those who vehemently dissent. Therefore, allow me to make a caveat. Nothing in this chapter is intended as a moral judgment on any particular individual: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Obviously, however, this passage does not mean to refrain from making moral distinctions. The very passage itself makes such a distinction between judging and not judging. Let us advance, then, to the subject of contraception.
CONTRACEPTION
In order to make clear the Catholic teaching on contraception, let us begin with a hypothetical thought experiment. We know that in acts of sexual intercourse there is a chemical released called oxytocin. Sometimes referred to as the “love hormone,” it is a chemical that furthers the emotional bonding of the couple. Now, imagine that a pharmaceutical company in Sweden successfully produced a pill that could block the release of oxytocin that naturally occurs during the sex act.
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- An Introduction to Catholic Ethics since Vatican II , pp. 155 - 166Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015