How have ethical questions changed over the years because of medical advances?
Medical advances in all fields have created many, many ethical problems that we never faced before. Absolutely. The kidney dialysis machine keeps people alive, but they’re able to stay alive expressing their personhood, not just maintaining a biological life. And yet, the burdens of that on some people are so great that they decide they don’t want to have this treatment anymore, and they stop it. Some people would say, “Wait. You can’t stop that. You’re committing suicide if you stop the kidney dialysis.” Not at all. The Church never says that. The Church says if the burdens of this treatment are so great for you, for the reasons you give, that you decide you do not want this which is life-saving and keeps you going — if you decide to stop it, and you do and you will die within a week, you have not committed suicide at all. You have decided that extraordinary treatment is not for you. And the Church has taught all the way through — the best example of that is Pius XII’s elocution to
Related Questions
- How can I possibly keep current with medical advances in the care of children, adolescents, adults, older adults, men, women, and pregnant women?
- How much of an employer’s medical costs are related to poor health habits that could be changed through a wellness training program?
- Is medical use of marijuana ethical?
