1. Principle of Stewardship and creativity

2. Principle of Stewardship and Creativity This principles requires us to appreciate that a wise and loving God has given: 1. The earth and all its natural resources 2. Our own human nature (embodied intelligent freedom) with its biological, psychological, social and spiritual capacities.

3. Principle of Stewardship and Creativity 1. N atural resources We are stewards of God’s creation but we do not have an absolute dominion over it. 2. H uman creativity As a steward we must know how nature works Profound respect to our natural resources To build, to care and to love Likewise, on our own bodies and minds that we must take care and work to prevent defects in our bodies through medical innovations but with greatest respect. We must remember our creativity should be co- creativity with the Creator, not a reckless wasting of his gifts.

4. Christian Ethics Ethics is concerned with fulfilling the needs of the human person in an integrated manner Ethics is concerned with fulfilling the needs of the human person in an integrated manner We must have a thorough knowledge of the needs of the human person, that is what it means to be human We must have a thorough knowledge of the needs of the human person, that is what it means to be human

5. Persons are able to make free choices because they are intelligent and free social beings

6. Anything that satisfies a human need is a good or a VALUE Thus a given good or value is always correlative to a human need, that is, it is a desire to satisfy human need

7. Four basic human needs (Abraham Maslow, 1964) Biological needs Psychological needs Social needs Self- actualiz ation

8. Basic needs (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol.,1947, I-II, q.94,a.2) 1. T he need to preserve health and life 2. T he need to procreate the future generation 3. T he need to live in society 4. T he need to know the truth

9. Hierarchy of Values Non-living things plants animals Human life

10. Case: In Henrik Ibsen’s play An enemy of the people, a physician attempts to awaken the townspeople to the danger of arising from the pollution of the water system. They do not want to hear his warnings because his information hurt some people’s reputation and his proposal for remedy tread on other people’s toes. Can you think of a current situations where there is resistance by vested interests or by the public to problems of stewardship and preventive medicine?

11. Case A few years ago, two young women who were six months pregnant were diagnosed as having cancer of the uterus. Both decided to delay surgery or chemotherapy until their infants could be delivered with a firm hope of viability. Both died shortly after their children were born. What were the ethical options?