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Wrestling with human cloning

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them. (IMDb)

Go to TURNING STONES

Human Cloning
1. In this particular case human cloning be considered sinful and prohibited by the Church? Why? 2. Is this act in general be right, neutral, or wrong? Why?

Dignity of the Human Person :


Every person should be treated with dignity because we are all created in the image of God.
Who may not be considered human?
Every person, regardless of how s/he may have
been conceived/born, will have to be considered human.

Who may not be considered human?

What do you think?

3
ROADS
Caution Suspicion Reason
ASSENT or DISSENT to the Church? BLIND or REASONED?

Case #2
Ever since she came out of her coma for almost a year, Rosario has been in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) and has been subsisting only through articial feeding and hydration.

Case #2
The family feels it can no longer aord to continue and is asking you about terminating the articial feeding and hydration, which will eventually result in the death of Rosario.

Would you agree or disagree? Why?

Case #2
1. In this particular case involving Rosario, would terminating the articial hydration/ feeding be considered sinful and prohibited by the Church? Why? 2. Is this act in general right, neutral, or wrong? Why?

Articial Feeding and Hydration

Not a medical act BUT one that is part of normal care that must be given to everyone.

Withdrawing or Withholding of Life-Support Systems

What are the benets and harms to the individual,


family and community in terms of: - Degree of complexity and risk - Physical and moral resources - Inicted pain on patient - Foreseen results Is the cost proportionate or disproportionate?

Dignity of the Human Person :


Every person should be treated with dignity because we are all created in the image of God. When does one stop being human?
For the Catholic Church, as long as there is a living
body, even if mental and physical capacities are reduced or absent, there is still a person present who deserves to be treated with respect and care.

When does one stop being human?

What do you think?

3
ROADS
Caution Suspicion Reason
ASSENT or DISSENT to the Church? BLIND or REASONED?

Case #3
Judy, a Catholic with three children, is six weeks pregnant and is experiencing some problems. After her convulsions have been controlled and her blood pressure has been stabilized, she is informed that an emergency caesarean delivery is necessary to treat her condition. The fetus will certainly not survive the delivery.

Case #3

Judy would like to save her child, but she faces a potentially fatal pregnancy complication if she does not have the caesarian delivery. Delaying the delivery can have adverse eects on Judy.

Case #3
The logical step seems to be to proceed with the caesarian operation that will result in an abortion. Would you agree or disagree? Why?

Case #3
1. In this particular case involving Judy, would abortion be considered sinful and prohibited by the Church? Why? 2. Is the act of abortion in general right, neutral, or wrong? Why?

DIRECT or INDIRECT ABORTION

A direct abortion is a deliberate action intended to expel a live embryo or a live but non-viable fetus. Direct abortion is condemned by the Church as an intrinsic evil.

An indirect abortion is the undesired but


unavoidable expulsion of a live embryo or a live but inviable fetus, as a result of a necessary treatment of a gravely pathological condition of the mother, usually in the reproductive system (such as cancer of the uterus in pregnancy). The Church considers indirect abortion as ethically acceptable.

Sanctity of Life : Life is a sacred gift from God. We don t have the right to terminate it.
When does human life begin?
For the Catholic Church, human life begins upon fertilization.

When does human life begin?

What do you think?

3
ROADS
Caution Suspicion Reason
ASSENT or DISSENT to the Church? BLIND or REASONED?

Case #4
After a ten-year marriage, Brad and Angelina Perez remain childless. They ve adopted every possible child from every possible nation, but they still decide that they want a child of their own. They see a specialist who examines them and nds out that Brad is not capable of becoming a father.

Case #4
Because of this, Brad and Angelina are considering articial insemination so that they can conceive a child that is truly their own.

Case #4
Brad and Angelina has approached you for advice about giving articial insemination a try. Would you agree or disagree? Why?

TRANSMISSION OF LIFE BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS

Articial

By a donor outside of Marriage: Prohibited by the Church Allowed but only on the condition that articial insemination follows normal sexual intercourse, and consists basically in helping the sperm reach the ovum so that it can fertilize the latter (by the use of a syringe, or cervical spoon, or by methods of concentrating sperm density of the semen emitted during intercourse).

By the husband:

TRANSMISSION OF LIFE BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS

In Vitro Fertilization & Embryo Transfer

IVF refers to the fertilization by a sperm cell in a laboratory


of an ovum extracted surgically from a woman.

ALL instances of IVF considered morally unacceptable by

the Church--even with an ovum from the wife and sperm from the husband because they separate the transmission of life from the conjugal act. fertilized embryo resulting from IVF procedures: also prohibited by the Church because it violates the dignity and sanctity of life of human embryos

The disposal or freezing of excess

The bond between the unitive and procreative meanings of the conjugal act

God has designed marital love to be both an expression of love and the means for procreation.

Is it properly human to procreate without sex?


Every act of procreation should involve sexual intercourse between husband and wife.

Is it properly human to procreate without sex?

What do you think?

3
ROADS
Caution Suspicion Reason
ASSENT or DISSENT to the Church? BLIND or REASONED?

What did you learn TODAY?

When we engage in MORAL REASONING:


(1) Appreciate the AMBIGUITY & COMPLEXITY of moral situations.
(4) Inform and follow your CONSCIENCE in making a reasoned ASSENT. (5) If you must DISSENT, make sure you ve gone through not only the Road of Reason, but also the Roads of Caution and Suspicion.

(2) Clarify your answer to the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS about the values underlying the dilemmas. (3) Understand the reasons and values behind the CATHOLIC MORAL PRINCIPLES.

Every opportunity you have in engaging in moral reasoning with your patient is a DEFINING MOMENT. When we face moral decisions, we dene ourselves as persons.

Our moral decisions shape who we are. Exercise moral responsibility.

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