Hannah Judy

Organic Chemistry II
Dr. Bartelson
May 7, 2020

CST Assignment

1. Draw the R and S conformation of thalidomide using ChemDraw. Then identify the
functional groups in the compound.

Functional groups:
 Ketone
 Amide
 Benzene

2. Reflect on TWO Catholic Social Teaching principles that relate to the controversial
pharmaceutical, thalidomide.

Catholic Social Teaching principles can be used as guidelines to refer back to when trying to
approach life as God intended us to. These principles can be used to address different views,
events, and circumstances from a religious approach. The controversial pharmaceutical,
thalidomide can relate to Catholic Social Teaching principles such as, rights and responsibilities,
and the life and dignity of the human person. The rights and responsibilities teaches that
human dignity needs to be preserved and that the only way a healthy lifestyle can be kept is
when responsibilities are met. Those who created thalidomide didn’t meet their own
responsibilities as humans by lack of thoroughly testing this drug. Not only did they handle and
administer thalidomide with careless action, but they continued to disregard the right of human
decency by not compensating the victims of this drug. Since thalidomide was never approved in
the United States, limitations have been set to enabled survivors to sue. However, a campaign
for compensation has been recently set forward to raise awareness and fight for answers about
how their bodies were affected. The life and dignity of human person is another principle that
relates to the thalidomide tragedy. The Catholic faith teaches the importance of treating our
bodies with respect and dignity. The thalidomide tragedy caused bodily harm to God’s creation
of the human body. The principles state that at all stages of our lives, from conception to
natural death, we as humans deserve attention and care that are entitled to beings of infinite
worth. However, the chaotic distribution of the drug caused threats to numerous ethical rights
of human beings. Due to the chemical confusion involving the makeup of this pharmaceutical,
babies suffered with phocoemelia, ocular abnormalities, internal organ damage, and many
more side-effects. Despite all of the negative affects thalidomide had on the world, the
development of this drug is still in use today. However, thalidomide is used now to treat
multiple myeloma and a specific complication of leprosy. From a Catholic perspective, this drug
I feel went against all principles and its use should be re-evaluated. However, I feel people have
learned from this tragedy and if the drug is now safely being used to help those suffering from
cancer, it should be utilized to help those in need.

3. Reflect on any parallels that you can see between the history of thalidomide and COVID-
19 in relation to CST principles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought stress and uncertainty to many homes around the
world. When the news of quarantine lockdown first arose, everyone went into survival panic
mode. Store shelves were empty, human contact was lost, and the people quite literally
distanced from each other. During this stressful time, I couldn’t help but look for answers
through faith. I think the Catholic Social Teaching principles are a great source to relate back to
in scary moments like this. One of the principles that stood out to me was the, solidarity,
common good, and participation principle. This principle teaches us that we rely on one
another for social and life necessities. It mentions how we all must share our talents and
abilities in order to mutually benefit each other. It’s our obligation as human beings to enforce
the common good and contribute to help others in need. An issue that this current pandemic is
facing is that people want answers and are demanding immediate treatment. After reading
about the thalidomide tragedy, I fear history might repeat itself. The development of
thalidomide involved a lack of clinical trials and testing. Thus, missing a key chemical reaction
component that affected many people’s lives. By fast-tracking the testing of a new drug that
could possibly treat COVID-19, we are increasing the chances of mistakes and harmful
repercussions. The CST principle, the dignity of work, rights of workers, and support for labor
unions is important to reflect upon in these times. Many people have lost their jobs and many
people are risking their lives doing their job. In order for history to not repeat itself, I think we
need to respect our workers who are trying to find a cure by not rushing the process and
insuring the safety of all involved.