Teacher of Moral Theology
St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary Vadavathoor
Kottayam (Dt), Kerala- 686010, India.
Contact: skanniyakonil@hotmail.com
Bioethics is a blooming branch among academic disciplines, helping people to take moral decisions in health-related contexts and biological issues. People take decision either from the secular perspectives or from religious perspectives. On the one side, many of the secular approaches based their decision from quality of life arguments. On the other side, religions take their ethical decision from sanctity of life arguments; this means we have to respect the human being from the beginning to the end. Regarding bioethical issues, Catholic Church also takes decision from the sanctity of life arguments. This teaching can be seen from the scripture and the tradition of the Church, and the teaching is very clear.
Date posted: 2008-01-07
In this article we have discussed different aspects of the principle of double effect and its relevance in bioethics. Though the four conditions of the principle were later developments, the concept of PDE, which is biblical, is very ancient. Taking different moral issues, theologians criticise its relevance. But from our analysis it is clear that PDE is relevant in moral issues, especially in the case of living organ donation and transplantation. It is useful in complicated issues, particularly when there are simultaneous good effect and bad effect happening in a moral act. In this situation the four conditions help the individuals to take an adequate decision in their moral act. PDE also gives a clear picture about the nature of the object, means or circumstances and the intention. PDE justifies virtuous act. It is true from the issue of living organ donation and transplantation. However, PDE does not justify evil acts, for example, paid organ donation and donation of reproductive organs. This highlights its relevance in bioethics.
Date posted: 2008-01-05
The Christ experience of the Apostle Thomas in scripture is one of the main sources of the moral foundations for Thomas Christians. The Evangelist John gives certain references to the Thomas Apostle. Jn 11: 16 states: "let us also go that we may die with him." According to V. Pathikulangra, "it must be his intimate personal relationship with and loyalty to Jesus that inspired him to take upon himself even the most trying ideal Jesus had ever preached." For instance, "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay dawn his life for his friends (Jn 15 : 13)." Here I would like to mention three elements in the above quotations with some ethical connections: the ethics of discipleship, love, and genuine act.
Date posted: 2008-01-04
Bioethics is a blooming branch among academic disciplines, helping people to take moral decisions in health-related contexts and biological issues. People take decision either from the secular perspectives or from religious perspectives. On the one side, many of the secular approaches based their decision from quality of life arguments. On the other side, religions take their ethical decision from sanctity of life arguments; this means we have to respect the human being from the beginning to the end. Regarding bioethical issues, Catholic Church also takes decision from the sanctity of life arguments. This teaching can be seen from the scripture and the tradition of the Church, and the teaching is very clear. However, in certain circumstances, the theological concept of life is not enough to take decision when the life issues produces simultaneously good effect and bad effect. In this context catholic bioethical principles, based on the sanctity of life arguments, such as principle of totality and double effect, help the faithful to take the decisions in conflict situations. Many of the secular approaches, which are based on quality of life, are against these principles.
Date posted: 2007-12-18
Many religious and secular approaches justify organ donation and transplantation because it promotes life. Catholic Church also favours it, especially in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, which states that it is an act of the virtue of charity. This article presents the promotion of organ donation and transplantation. The first section of this article discusses the present state of organ donation and transplantation, and the second section deals with ethical issues related to organ donation and transplantation, and the final section is on the promotion of organ donation and transplantation.
Date posted: 2007-12-01
The practice of living organ donation and transplantation gives rise to many serious medical, psychological, emotional, social, legal, and ethical issues. There are risks and benefits both to the donor and the recipient. Body parts become available in a world-wide market, and they become a commodity to be exchanged for money. Another pertinent fact is that people may donate their organs out of compulsion (women, mentally retarded persons, children). This leads to the discussion of a wide range of issues such as commercialization of human organs, mutilation, autonomy, justice, charity etc. These issues point to one question: "how can we ethically justify living organ donation and transplantation?"
Date posted: 2007-11-24
The concept of human body is a heated debate both in the secular and the religious realm. The interpretations and definitions of human body in the medical, philosophical, social, and theological positions are different. The discussions of human body lead to diverse outlook on it. If we look at the historical root of Christianity, easterners and westerners have their own approach to the human body. The main purpose of this article is a discussion on Eastern Christian concept of human body. By analyzing the Greek and the Syriac concept, we search the eastern Christian concept of the human body.
Date posted: 2007-11-06