Catholic Teachings

 

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the intentional causing or hastening of death in a person with a medical condition that is judged to be serious. The patient may either be (a) alert and (b) aware and (c) competent to make their own decisions and (d) able to communicate or the patient may have (a) decreased alertness (due to encephalopathy or coma), (b) diminished awareness (retardation, dementia, vegetative state) and (c) be incompetent to make their own decisions or (d) be unable to communicate due to aphasia, or inability to speak.

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 Argument against Pro-Choice 

In arguing against this "pro-choice" position, one must first focus on the heart of the choice — a child. Proceeding from a purely, scientific approach, we know that when conception occurs, a new and unique human being is created. The DNA genetic code attests to this uniqueness. (Why else has DNA coding become so important in identifying criminals?) Moreover, from that moment of conception, the child continues to develop and to grow; the child is born, matures to adolescence and then adulthood and eventually dies. Note though that this is all the same person who was conceived: all that has been added is nourishment, time and hopefully a lot of love. Therefore, our Church teaches, "From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already" (Declaration on Procured Abortion, no. 12, 1974).

 

 

 Stem cell research: What's it all about?

A stem cell is a type of cell found in all human beings. They're found in animals as well. Stem cells have a couple of important characteristics: they can reproduce themselves over a long period of time without changing, and they have the capability to produce other types of specialized cells, such as brain cells, muscle cells, and lung cells, to name but a few.

There are a number of different places from which stem cells can be obtained:

Obtaining stem cells from a human embryo is highly unethical. A human embryo is an innocent human being in his first stage of life. There is only one way to obtain stem cells from a developing human embryo, and it involves killing the embryo. It is always and in every case morally wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being at any point in life, including the embryonic stage of development.

Obtaining stem cells from fatty tissue, or bone marrow, or the umbilical cord after the birth of a baby may be done ethically. No harm comes to the person whose stem cells are obtained for research in such fashion. Furthermore, according to current research findings, adult stem cells show great promise for treating a variety of conditions and diseases. The same cannot be said for human embryonic stem cells.

 

 

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