HANDOUT

RESPECTING HUMAN DIGNITY

Number 2:

OVERVIEW:

I. Introduction
II. Issues on Human Dignity
A. Abortion
1. Defining Abortion
2. Kinds of Abortion
3. Teachings on Abortion

B. Suicide
1. Defining Suicide
2. Kinds of Suicide
3. Teachings on Suicide

C. Euthanasia
1. Defining Euthanasia
2. Kinds of Euthanasia
3. Teachings on Euthanasia

I. INTRODUCTION

The person cannot be a means for carrying out economic, social or political projects
imposed by some authority, even in the name of an alleged progress of the civil community
as a whole or of other persons, either in the present or the future. Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church no. 133

Central to the principle of human dignity is the understanding that, every human being is
created in the image of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, destined for union with God, and
therefore worthy of respect as a member of the human family.

We are called to respect all persons with the sense of awe that arises in the presence of all
that is sacred and holy. Our tradition teaches that every human person is sacred from
conception to death. We believe that those who are weak, vulnerable, or marginalized
deserve special respect, especially those who are unborn, disabled, elderly or dying. A key
measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the
human person.

One factor that denies the inherent dignity of each person is discrimination in its many
forms, such as that based on race, gender or economic status. This principle is not merely a

1
prohibition against killing or harming life; rather, it calls us to proclaim a new culture of life by
revering life, loving life and fostering life at all stages. Drawing our strength from Christ and
following the example of Mary, we say ―yes‖ to life in word and deed. We say ―yes‖ in
gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of each human being that impels us to share
this message with everyone.

II. ISSUES ON HUMAN DIGNITY

In this section, we shall explore the moral issues on abortion, suicide, and euthanasia. These
issues are becoming controversial and divisive in our time now. More and more countries
are contemplating on legalizing and relegating more the issues to personal freedom rather
than seeing their harm to our dignity as human beings and the humanity of our species.

A. Abortion:
1. Defining Abortion
Abortion is the expulsion from the womb of an immature, non-viable fetus. This immaturity
determines the essential trait of abortion: the death of the fetus.

2. Kinds of Abortion
a. Direct abortion or induced abortion is due to voluntary and effective human
intervention. It is sought as an end. The main purpose is to get rid of the baby. This kind of
abortion is considered morally wrong.

b. Indirect abortion or indirectly provoked abortion. This is an unwanted and unavoidable

consequence of a good action. It is foreseen, but not wanted—just tolerated. The good
action must be necessary for reasons that are serious enough to balance the evil effect of
abortion. We must bear in mind that the resulting abortion is never wanted and would be
avoided if possible. This kind of abortion is morally permitted under certain situations. An
example of which is the condition of ectopic pregnancy. In ectopic pregnancy, the
fertilized ovum is growing inside the fallopian tube. A medical intervention is needed to
remove the embryo since the human embryo will eventually die. Failure to do this will also
result to the death of the mother.

c. Miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion is due to causes that are beyond human control.
This case has no moral complication. This kind is abortion is ‗amoral‘, meaning there is no
morally culpability or responsibility on the part of the woman since this is beyond one‘s
control.

3. Teachings on Abortion
a. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has
affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and
remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a
means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (CCC 2271).

b. Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm
needed to understand the Church's opposition to abortion is the principle that each and
every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a
human person. This is the foundation for the Church's social doctrine, including its teachings
2
on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration.
Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be
treated as "persons" (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or
lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights. Such a
claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth.

B. Suicide
1. Defining Suicide
It is the voluntary taking of one‘s life.

2. Kinds of Suicide
a. Direct Suicide is directly wanted suicide caused by a free and deliberate action. It is
considered a grievous [serious] sin.

b. Indirect Suicide is not directly wanted, but is foreseen as a possible or certain

consequence of a dangerous action. It is lawful only for a proportionately serious cause, as
in a risky but necessary operation or in a legitimate war.

3. Teachings on Suicide
Suicide offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family,
nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is
contrary to love for the living God. (CCC 2281) However, grave psychological disturbances,
anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the
one committing suicide. (CCC 2282) We should not despair of the eternal salvation of
persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the
opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their
own lives. (CCC 2283) Suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope, and charity it is forbidden
by the fifth commandment. (CCC 2325)

C. Euthanasia
Just as moral discussion about abortion centers on the question of when human life begins,
so the morality of euthanasia is complicated by questions about when human life ends. In
life, our lungs automatically inhale life-giving oxygen, our heart pumps blood throughout
the body, and our brain serves as a control center for all the conscious and unconscious
activities that keep the body functioning. When a person is dead, these essential life
systems no longer function. Thus, the threshold between life and death would seem to be
clearly defined. Yet, more and more we are hearing of instances in which this threshold is
not so clear. Because of increased complexity in the dying process resulting from improved
medical technology, important new moral decisions face us. Church teaching makes a
distinction between allowing a person to die and euthanasia. ―Allowing a person to die‖
means ―discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary,
or disproportionate to the expected outcome‖ (CCC 2278).

1. Defining Euthanasia
Euthanasia has come to mean mercy killing—mercifully putting to death someone who is
dying or who is experiencing extreme suffering, as we might put to death a dying beloved
pet. Saint John Paul II gave the following definition:
3
―Euthanasia in the strict sense is understood to be an action or omission which of itself and
by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering‖ (The Gospel of Life
#65).

Since it is an act that is directly contrary to the dignity of the human person, euthanasia is a
violation of the fifth commandment. In a word, it is murder. However, to understand the
moral issues surrounding euthanasia today we need to distinguish among a number of
actions and inactions that sometimes are identified with the term.

2. Kinds of Euthanasia
a. Direct or Active Euthanasia
In active euthanasia a person directly and deliberately causes the patient's death. Active
euthanasia is when death is brought about by an act - for example when a person is killed
by being given an overdose of pain-killers or poisonous chemicals.

b. Indirect or Passive Euthanasia

In passive euthanasia they don't directly take the patient's life, they just allow them to die.
Passive euthanasia is when death is brought about by an omission - i.e. when someone lets
the person die. This can be by withdrawing or withholding treatment:

b.1. Withdrawing treatment: for example, switching off a machine that is keeping a person
alive, so that they die of their disease.
b.2. Withholding treatment: for example, not carrying out surgery that will extend life of a
person.

It means deliberately not taking steps to prevent a sick person‘s death, precisely with the
desire and intention that this withholding will lead to or cause his or her death. An example
would be refusing a relatively minor, almost always successful, stomach surgery for a
Down‘s syndrome newborn because he or she is a person who is developmentally disabled
and the parents would prefer the child not to survive. In this instance, although it involves an
action not taken, the intention— just like active euthanasia—is to take a life, however well-
or ill-meaning the intention. Like active euthanasia, this action may happen with or without
a patient‘s consent. Passive or indirect euthanasia, like active euthanasia, is wrong
because the intention is the taking of a life.

3. Teachings on Euthanasia
a. The Vatican Declaration on Euthanasia
―When inevitable [expected] death is imminent [about to happen] in spite of the means
used, it is permitted in conscience to take the decision to refuse forms of treatment that
would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life‖ (The Vatican
Declaration on Euthanasia #4).

This statement acknowledges that:

• At times modern medical technology and medical practices will not cure a person but
will only delay death indefinitely.
• In such cases, medical treatments that do no more than prolong life at great expense or
with excessive burden may be discontinued.
4
• Such a decision is not ―mercy killing‖ or euthanasia in the strict sense, since it allows the
natural dying process to occur.
• Thus, the focus is on foregoing excessively burdensome treatment, not on killing the
patient. It must be pointed out that such ―overzealous‖ treatment is unnecessary, as long as
the intention is not to directly take life (CCC 2278).

Medical personnel who work with dying patients often find themselves faced with decisions
that rely on these subtle but important distinctions. For instance, what is acceptable when a
frail and incurably ill person is experiencing pain and has been prescribed medicine to
relieve the pain? At some point, increasing the dosage of certain pain medications might
inadvertently hasten or contribute to death. In this situation it is important to recall Saint
John Paul II‘s definition of euthanasia in which he reminds us that the intention behind an
act must be considered.

b. Allowing the person to die (allowing death to occur) versus Euthanasia: A Clarification on
Extraordinary and Ordinary means

b.1. Allowing death to occur is not the same as killing.

Around fifty years ago when modern medical technology was making great advances,
Pope Pius XII made a distinction between taking ordinary means of preserving life versus
taking extraordinary means. He indicated that extraordinary means of life support need not
be taken. Since then Church leaders have further clarified the difference between ordinary
(necessary) means and extraordinary (unnecessary) means. The important distinction here
is not so much a matter of what is done, as it is a matter of the burdens and benefits of
available procedures. In other words, the questions to ask are: (1) What are the emotional,
physical, and financial costs and the risks— the burdens—of a particular procedure on a
patient, the family, and the community? (2) What are the likely results—the benefits— of
performing the procedure? Thus, life support measures that can reasonably be expected to
improve a seriously ill person‘s condition are ordinary means. Likewise, nutrition and
hydration are ordinary means. On the other hand, procedures that merely delay death
temporarily but that offer no real hope of reversing the dying process tend to fall into the
category of extraordinary means.

Defined in these terms, the same medical interventions can be labelled ordinary in one
situation and extraordinary in another. For example, if an otherwise healthy person suddenly
stops breathing, putting that person on a ventilator would be expected and necessary if at
all possible. Timely use of a ventilator could lead to recovery and avoid death. However, if
a person were already near death due to complications from cancer and then stops
breathing, a ventilator might be an extraordinary life support, optional rather than
necessary. Depending on circumstances and intention, withholding treatment may or may
not be euthanasia.

b.2. Physician assisted suicide is a plea for companionship, sympathy, and support.
Saint John Paul II recognizes that advocating physician-assisted suicide can arise from
positive motivations, from a caring and compassionate human heart. However, he asks
people to look behind such a request. Every suicide is a plea for help. The pope sees
physician-assisted suicide as a plea for companionship, sympathy, and support. It is a cry for
5
help in attaining the hope beyond human hope that the Catholic message provides. He
points out that taking a life, even one‘s own and even during difficult times, attacks the
fundamental respect for the dignity of human life that should underlie all decisions about
how to view people and how to treat them. That is, human life is precious, even to the very
end. Suffering does not diminish the preciousness of life, nor does imminent death or
apparent uselessness. The pope implies that, instead of the false mercy of suicide or
euthanasia, we serve human life better when we address the deep concerns that sick and
dying persons have.

References:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Belmonte, Charles. Faith Seeking Understanding Volume 2. Mandaluyong City: Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc., 2006.
Forms of Euthanasia from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/forms.shtml
Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church's Constant Teaching from https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-
and-dignity/abortion/respect-for-unborn-human-life

Prepared by Jaime L. Villafuerte IV – Miriam College High School 2021-2022