Chapter 8, Part 2

 Moral Principles are basic truths we use to determine rules of conduct. In moral reasoning, principles enable us to measure our moral obligation or to figure out how we ought to act in particular situations.  They touch on every aspect of our lives where ethics and morality are at stake.

 Catholics refer to “natural law” when they seek to determine whether a certain action is right or wrong.  If natural law is written anywhere, it is “written and engraved in the soul” (Pope Leo XIII)  The law is written within us in our capacity to reason.  Natural law, as a principle for moral action, affirms that we have the capacity to figure out what is good.  Thomas Aquinas: The natural law is nothing other than the light of understanding placed in us by God; through it we know what we must do and what we must avoid.

 Jacques Maritain: “Natural Law is made manifest to practical reason in certain judgments, but these very judgments do not proceed from any conceptual, discursive, rational exercise of reason. They proceed from…inclination.”  Thomas Aquinas: “The rational creature by its very rationality participates in the eternal reason, and because of this participation, has a natural inclination to the actions ‘rooted in reason’.  Augustine: “that which is not just seems to be no law at all”

 The Canadian bishops and the Catholic Organization for Life and Family speak about moral principles regarding Assisted Human Reproduction derived from the Catholic Tradition.  Here are some of these principles: 1) Respect for human life and human dignity: Human life begins at conception/fertilization. An embryo is known and loved by God. The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception. 2) A child is a gift: A child may never become an object or a thing. A child may not be exploited to fulfill the desires of an infertile couple. 3) The integrity of procreation: The Catholic Church honours and respects the act of human procreation between a husband and a wife as God’s design. Therefore, in vitro fertilization is unacceptable for 2 reasons: it separates procreation from the physically intimate expression of love between husband wife, and it can lead to the destruction of embryos. 4) Concern for the most vulnerable: The poor and weak need special protection. Ex. The embryo—human life at its most vulnerable—needs protection. 5) The common good: Essential to the common good is universal respect for the inalienable right to life of every human being at every stage, from embryo to natural death.

 The Catholic Church addresses 3 moral principles that come into play when faced with the dilemma of Euthanasia and assisted suicide: 1) Human life is relational: Human life is a good that is essentially different from all other goods. Life is always a most precious gift—a gift which we have received from others and which we are called to make fruitful and to preserve. This means preserving it as a matter of self-preservation, but also of sustaining the common good of society. 2) We are mutually responsible for life: Human life is interdependent (we are in this together). We are responsible for the other. 3) Our care for the other must be governed by compassion, not pity: How do we respond to the person who is suffering, how do we maintain their dignity? We must always seek to reduce the suffering of others. Compassion opens us to sharing and entering into the suffering of another, whereas pity leaves the sufferer isolated to fend for his or herself. The Catholic Church supports the palliative care of terminally ill people and appropriate medication to ease pain, even when such medication may hasten death.

 Human morality originates in a moral person who acts according to the good. To act according to these norms, laws, rules and principles to consider also requires prudence.  The prudent person has the ability to make good choices, who has an almost instinctive inclination towards goodness.  Prudence seeks out right reason. It evaluates motives for action.  It judges how to make justice and love of God real day-to-day activities.

 For Chapter 8, we will be examining the social dimension of personal choices.

 How do you promote and maintain good health in your life?  In your own words, describe the social dimension of good health: how does your state of health effect others?

 The Sarah Marshall Story: m_booklets/2-SARAH%20MARSHALL.pdf

 Using a Think/Pair/Share strategy, reflect on Sarah’s story and brainstorm the public dimensions of her challenges and her victory.  Answer the following question: Why does Sarah’s story concern us as people in search of the good life?  Record your responses on the post-it notes, and stick them to the board.

 teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social- teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social- teaching.cfm teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social- teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social- teaching.cfm

 Consolidate, debrief, reflect & connect:  Complete the handout: Journal Entry  **You will be handing this in