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About Me
- dsm
- Biostatistician, Biology and Philosophy Faculty, Lacrosse Addict
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9 comments:
Issues in care for the beginning of life, ethical or non-ethical. Personally, I don’t have a problem with any of these directives for this institution. These particular issues deal with a private institution, which is permitted to adhere to any set of guidelines, they seem appropriate. If we are seeking heath care and we disagree with these directives we are able to choose another facility that is more inline with what we believe. We all know Catholics are bound to religious guidelines that others may or may not follow.
Now, that being said it doesn’t mean that I agree with all of the published directives. In fact I strongly disagree with a few specifically, those dealing with contraception and sterilization. I believe that contraception should be promoted to everyone, both as a form of birth control and as a way to control the spreading of STD’s. Both adults and kids need to understand that their actions may come with consequences that could impact them for the rest of their lives. Yes in a perfect World everyone would wait till they were married to have sex, this is not a perfect World. I have a hard time understanding why religion even plays into this issue. Sterilization is another that I disagree with; I think this is between a husband and a wife…PERIOD. If they decide has a couple that they don’t want to have kids or that they have had enough, its entirely their decision. If you can’t use contraceptives and you can’t get sterilized, what is a couple to do? I know, I know, timing. Well, that’s not perfect and accidencts can still happen. Would it change how I feel or what I believe if I was a Catholic and practiced safe sex while sterilized?
In regards to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services part four, issues in care for the beginning of life, I disagree with 90% of the standards of care. I am not going to discuss my beliefs in abortions or any care related in this assignment. I’ve decided to concentrate on the other points of disagreement in the directives. People do have a right to choose which hospital or facility to receive medical treatment when it is not a life-threatening situation. I personally would not choose to seek assistance in having or conceiving a child at a Catholic facility due to my disagreement with their religious beliefs. However, does a hospital have a right to force their beliefs on a patient in regards to healthcare? I feel the healthcare system as a whole should be free of religious dictation.
The directives in question go into great length to dictate that marriage is between a man and wife and the act of sex, conjugal act, is for creating life. Any form of birth control is not acceptable treatment and violates the will of God to create human life. Yet, the directives say the responsibility of parenthood is to limit the number of children created. How does one accomplish this if birth control is not allowed? Birth control and sterilization is the right of an individual. Some may choose not to have children for financial reasons, personal beliefs, and/or medical reasons. If I had a genetic condition in my family that was probable to be passed down to a child, rendering their life complicated and full of suffering, I should have the right to choose not to conceive children. No sexual method other than sterilization is 100% definitive that a child will not be conceived. Regardless of the reasoning, it should be the decision of the person or persons when or if they choose to create a child.
On the other side of the issue, if it is God’s will for a married couple to transmit human life, why is it forbidden to use artificial insemination? So let’s say the husband is infertile, how does the couple follow God’s will? They are offered counseling and recommendations for adoption based on these directives but that does not follow the rule that the child must be created through the act of procreation. If the wife is not ovulating properly and the medications offered are not working to fix the problem, why can’t they fertilize her egg with her husband’s sperm and then implant it back in her? The directives say it is not allowed because it is contrary to the conjugal act of creating a child. My interpretation of these directives is that you can only conceive a child through sex between a husband and wife. If the natural act doesn’t work nor with the assistance of fertility drugs, it’s too bad you’ll have to adopt. Personally, I think that is an unethical determination by a healthcare facility. Such facilities can not dictate how a family is to create a child. This decision is to be made by the husband and wife. Not everything is black and white when it comes to creating a child. Sometimes a family needs help and that help can come in many forms. The different options available come with a varying price tag as well. The family’s financial situation may be a determining factor on which choice is made. All persons have the right to determine what is done to their body…no institute or religion should be allowed to violate that right.
For the most part, I completely disagree with the Catholic beliefs of how to handle questionable ethical situations with death and dying. I do not agree a “family” constitutes a martial partnership of any kind, nor do I believe sexual intercourse is necessary or required in order to conceive. I believe that a “family,” regardless of marital commitment is fully capable of raising children in healthy environments despite how the child was conceived. I see no problem with prospective parents seeking science as a way to aid in obtaining a child, nor do I see any problem with adoption. As long as whomever child is brought into that home is safe, loved, and nurtured, the church should have no say. If one wants to take the religious side, God created an intellectual man in which whom might also create life. This was a skill given by God, not demeaned by him.
Although I am 100% pro-choice and the church is 100% anti-abortion, I do praise the church in not shunning those who have suffered from the traumas of abortion. I do however find the ill-moral excuse in which cases of extra-uterine pregnancy exhausts all options except abortion when abortion is the only option. The church contradicts itself by stating “when the diagnosis can provide information to guide preventative care for the mother.” A diagnosis of extra-uterine pregnancy and the only option of abortion (other than death) is the preventative care for the mother.
The question of whether or not non-therapeutic experiments on a living embryo or fetus are permitted is also debatable. With complete awareness of the situation and informed consent, science needs to practice on something of adequate value, why not an embryo or a fetus? One wouldn’t ask a plumber to wire up a house, so why would science depend solely on research gathered from only animal studies. In order for science to advance, it needs viable test subjects and sometimes those subjects need to be embryos or fetuses. As Mill would agree, sacrifice a few to save many, or the good of the many out weighs the few.
I agree with the Church’s position on beginning of life issues. For one, I am catholic, and as a catholic I believe in life and marriage. Life starts at the time of conception till death. I believe sex should be performed by only married people and only for the purpose of having children. I do agree with the idea that catholic hospital should not perform abortions or provide contraceptives to the public. Even though I see and understand the problem of unwanted children, I see the problem of promiscuity as a bigger problem, and one that the Catholic Church has the moral responsibility to enforce upon hospitals that want to be called “catholic.”
I agree that the Catholic Church should not condone suicide or euthanasia for whatever reason. Although sick people can not live in a pain free environment, I think medical professionals should try as much as possible to help keep people from pain during illness in order to prevent them from seeking suicide or euthanasia as a way of stopping the pain. I agree with the Church requiring a feeding tube in most situations, but reserving the right to allow removal of a feeding tube in special situations.
I feel the Catholic Church was very straightforward when it comes to dying but the beginning of life is much more complicated. The Church has many guidelines on how to conceive, how not to conceive, how to practice natural rhythms so not to conceive. These are just a few of the many directives on the matter. Are they ethical? No, I do not think so. I agree we are put on this earth to procreate but I do not think it is ethical to tell me how to do it. If I want to seek a surrogate for my wife because she cannot carry a fetus to term I have that right. The end result would be the same my wife and I would have a child. If I cannot impregnate my wife and seek scientific help I have the ethical right, I am still procreating. For the Church to say that my wife or I cannot be altered so that we can no longer have children because we have 4 and think that is enough how can that be ethical?
When it comes down to how I feel about the Ethical ways that the Catholic church runs their Medical facilities; I don’t really care that much. If a church has a set of standards that they live by that’s what they choose. Most people have some kind of knowledge about how the Catholics live and what they live by. Just choose if you want to be at their facility.
If they change their policies because the public doesn’t believe in what they live by then what does that say about their faith? You don’t have to agree with them, but in some of their ways I don’t see anything wrong with it.
They are a little strict on the birth control idea, but it is their way of life not to interfere with Gods plan. I do believe that they do get a little personal and in doing so they may loose patients that may really need them.
In regards to Issues in Care for the Beginning of Life and directive #45 governing the prohibition of direct abortion under any circumstances. It is completely understandable that the Catholic Church prohibits abortion, for it undermines the sanctity of life and the plan of God. However, there must be exceptions to any rule. Abortion should be regarded, as a personal decision not one entirely influenced by a religious organization not one entirely influenced by a religious organization. Women have the legal right in the U.S. to do with their body as they see fit and have the power to have the final medical decision. Women should be allowed to have abortion as a medical option in the event of traumatic circumstances such as rape, incest or medical circumstances such as severe birth defects, HIV status, maternal drug and alcohol abuse. Conception of a fetus as a result of rape or incest has the potential to further cause psychological trauma to the woman. Women should be able to decide on their own as to whether they would choose to carry the fetus of their sexual attacker knowing they would be able to bond and love that unborn child. In regards to medical situations such as severe birth defects, HIV, drug and alcohol exposure, it should be within the best interest of the unborn fetus to not cause undue burden or pain to that fetus in the event of a birth. Parents should have the ultimate choice to decide whether a severe birth defect that would inhibit natural fetal growth and/or death of the fetus during pregnancy or upon birth be able to consider abortion as a means of relief to the unborn fetus. Circumstances such as HIV status, alcoholism or drug abuse effecting the fetus can result in premature death following birth and have serious debilitating defects causing undue pain and burden in the life of the child, abortion should be consider to prevent the unnecessary shortened lifespan and painful abnormal development of the fetus. Personally I do believe in the right to abortion. As a Catholic I understand the directives put forth by the Catholic Church but ultimately the law of this country give me the right to decisions regarding my body. That said; I do also believe in conception and with those means at the disposal of many women, I am against abortion as a means of birth control.
The issues of care in the beginning of life are very important to many of people that have strong religious beliefs. As the case with the catholic church which runs these health institutions. It is my belief the private organizations that operate with private fund should have the right to have a strict outline of what is acceptable regard to their moral and religious beliefs. No matter how popular this is to the mass their morals should not be dictated nor be sculpted to what another sect of people deam as appropriate.
An s with every issue that comes with the churches stance this is their belief and morals that are being reflected in the guidelines would you change your thoughts or moral compass to satisfy another opposing opinion or belief? I think not so why should the church change theirs.
The catholic religion is very conservative, and so are their institutions and I can understand why they would not provide abortion services. I feel that help church/ institutions should provided help if help is needed.
When it comes to abortions I have mixed feelings I don’t think that an abortion should be a form of birth control. I do understand that every woman situation is different and sometime it’s something that has to be done. I do believe that the woman should have the choice to make her own decision because it is her body.
I not agree with terminating a pregnancy during, late term when the baby is at a viable stage and can survive independently outside of the mother womb. The only time a late term abortion should be allow is it the woman life in at risk. I feel a late term abortion a not ethical because of the procedures.
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