Catholic Social Teaching Section 3: Respecting Human Life and Dignity

Part 1: Defending Human Life Respecting all life is rooted in the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.” The first victims of a society living by a “culture of death” are: Unborn Infirm Elderly

Part 1: Defending Human Life In 1995, St. Pope John Paul II wrote the encyclical, The Gospel of Life, speaking about: Abortion, or the deliberate termination of a pregnancy by killing the unborn child. Euthanasia, or a direct action, or deliberate lack of action, that causes the death of a person who is handicapped, sick, or dying.

Part 1: Defending Human Life Death takes on many forms around the world: Poverty Homelessness Disease Violence Abortion Euthanasia St. Pope John Paul II called people to form a Culture of Life, or a society that holds all life sacred, from conception to natural death, healthy or sick.

Part 1: Defending Human Life A Culture of Death is a society that does not hold life to be sacred in all it stages, leading to structures of sin that attack human life when it is most vulnerable. St. Pope John Paul II identified two causes of the culture of death: 1. A distorted understanding of human freedom 2. Materialism

Part 1: Defending Human Life Many people believe we have the right to pursue our own personal goals, even if means “removing” another person’s life. This is a FALSE conception. Freedom is not an absolute right; it is a gift, and as such it comes with the responsibilities to choose right over wrong. “Freedom isn’t free.”

Part 1: Defending Human Life Materialism is when objects become the primary goal of our life and not God or other people. When we focus on material things, we: Become selfish Are not willing to sacrifice to help others

Part 1: Defending Human Life The culture of death leads to an erosion of personal conscience, or the inner voice that guides us by human reason and Divine Law to choose right over wrong.

Part 1: Defending Human Life In 1973, Roe v. Wade came before the Supreme Court, in which it was ruled: States could not limit a woman’s ability to have an abortion Had to occur in the first three months of pregnancy Before this decision, a majority of U.S. citizens felt abortion was wrong. Leadership in the U.S. had an erosion of conscience, which trickled down to the U.S. citizens.

Part 1: Defending Human Life

Part 1: Defending Human Life Erosion of Conscience 1. Abortion Legalized Roe v. Wade 5. People begin to take life for granted; increases in suicide. 4. Euthanasia becomes legal in some states in the U.S.A. 2. Society questions the rights and nature of a fetus 3. Society questions the rights of those who are sick and elderly

Part 1: Defending Human Life The erosion of conscience is an important contributor to the culture of death. We are called to have a well formed conscience, formulated through: 1. Human Reason 2. Divine Revelation 3. Truthfulness

Part 1: Defending Human Life 27 % 0.1 % 3 % 8 % 20 % 25 % 4 % 9 % Rape Health Concerns of Child Health Concerns of Mother Relationship Issues Finished with Childbearing Not Ready Can’t Afford Baby Lack of Maturity School Career Concerns Reasons for Abortion Percentage

Part 1: Defending Human Life

Abortion was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2007, far surpassing other forms of violence and crime.

Part 1: Defending Human Life Since 1973 to 2010, it is estimated that there have been 52 million abortions in the United States. Building structures of social justice that defend all life is the calling of all Christians in society.

Part 1: Defending Human Life During the first 8 to 10 weeks in the womb, a child is called an embryo. Abortion can take on many different forms, including: Suctioning or scraping the child out of the womb (most common) Lethal injections into the womb that kill the child Drugs that are taken days after conception Contraception which prevents pregnancy

Part 1: Defending Human Life Direct abortion is any intentional means to end a pregnancy and the life of a child. The woman having the abortion and the doctor(s) are both punishable by excommunication. Indirect abortion is when a mother is ill, needs a procedure done that is not an abortion, yet inadvertently ends the life of the child.

Part 1: Defending Human Life The Principle of Double Effect was coined by St. Thomas Aquinas and describes what happens when a good action ends up causing something that morally is bad. To decide if the result (which morally should be avoided) is morally tolerable, the following criteria apply: 1. The original act is either good or morally neutral 2. Person committing the act intends to do good 3. The good effect outweighs the bad effect

Part 1: Defending Human Life To understand these concepts, here is an example situation: A mother is seriously ill. If a procedure is not done, she will probably die, which will also end the child’s life. The procedure is done to protect the mother’s life and the child’s life. During the procedure, an incident unforeseen occurs, causing the child to die. In this situation, the procedure is morally tolerable because the procedure was not intended to end the child’s life, but rather to save the mother’s life; it was an unwanted effect that occurred during the procedure.

Part 1: Defending Human Life Keith L. Moore, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 7th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2003. pp. 16, 2: "Human life begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm unites with a female gamete or ovum to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual." "A zygote is the beginning of a new human being (i.e., an embryo)." Some people say a fetus is not a human being and support abortion for this reason. The Church and modern biology today teaches at the moment of conception, a human life is formed.

Part 1: Defending Human Life 8 Characteristics of Life Example in Developing Embryo/ Fetus 1. Made of One or more Cells 2. Displays Organization 3. Grows and Develops 4. Reproduces 5. Responds to Stimuli 6. Requires Energy 7. Maintains Homeostasis 8. Adapts to Environment 1. When the egg and sperm meet, a cell forms and begins to multiple (mitosis) 2. As cells multiple, they move about to form certain parts of the body 3. The fetus grows & develops for up to 38 weeks after conception 4. The first glimpses of sexual organ development occurs as early as 6 weeks 5. A fetus can hear and respond to sounds outside the womb; can kick 6. For a fetus to develop, he/she converts nutrients into energy to grow 7. Bodily functions, such as the liver producing red blood cells, occurs in fetus 8. A fetus uses adaptations all humans have, i.e. development of body hair

Part 1: Defending Human Life From the moment a sperm and egg meet, the cell they form has a unique DNA that will never be replicated again. When this cell, or zygote, is left alone, it will always develop into a human being. 3 weeks after conception, the embryo’s heart beats 9 weeks after conception, the embryo has fingerprints 12 weeks after conception, they sleep, exercise, and move 18 weeks after conception, they can feel pain

Part 1: Defending Human Life Adoption and organizational support exist that make abortion unnecessary. The Church is the voice for the voiceless. The Church seeks to end abortion and help those women who have had an abortion to be reconciled with God and His Church.

"It is anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born; it makes little difference whether one kills a soul already born or puts it to death at birth. He who will one day be a man is a man already.” (Tertullian)

Part 1: Defending Human Life Other “beginning of life” issues outside of abortion are: Artificial Means of Conception, or the ability to create new human life artificially, include: In Vitro Fertilization (fertilizing an ovum in a laboratory and planting it in a woman’s womb) Artificial Insemination (artificially implanting semen in a woman’s womb) Surrogate Parenting (placing a woman’s fertilized egg in another woman’s womb to grow)

Part 1: Defending Human Life While these techniques mean well, they all share serious moral flaws. The value of our sexuality is in the fact that children are created naturally. The Church supports scientific research that helps infertile couples increase their chances of natural conception through treatment.

Part 1: Defending Human Life “Beginning of Life” Issues Morally Acceptable Morally Unacceptable Prenatal Testing is when a test is done that checks for diseases in an embryo/fetus. When a test is done that checks for diseases in an embryo/fetus. When used to decide whether or not to abort a child because of disease. Genetic Engineering is the manipulation of an embryo’s genetic coding. When used to prevent diseases (Gene Treatment) When used to change the physical appearance of the child; creating “Designer Babies” Stem Cells are unique cells that have the potential to reproduce themselves as ANY human tissue or organs. When stems cells are taken from the umbilical cord of a newly born child. When stem cells are taken from aborted fetuses

Part 1: Defending Human Life The good intention of stem cell research to cure diseases does not justify the sin of abortion. New technology does not always foster moral actions. We are called to treat the unborn just as we would a person who is already born.

Part 1: Defending Human Life