A public campaign to legalize suicide, assisted suicide and mercy killing is gathering force. On the CMS program Face the Nation, Derek Humphry, the executive director of the Hemlock Society, announced that his organization is introducing legislation in Florida and California to repeal suicide and assisted suicide laws and give legal permission to physicians to … Read more
Despite the attempts by the media to make Karen Ann Quinlan a “heroine” for the right to die movement, it may very well be that this unfortunate woman was the victim of medical abandonment, or even “sentimental homicide.” For there are troubling ethical questions about her lapse into unconsciousness. There are ethical questions about her … Read more
The recent attempt to save the life of Baby Fae, who suffered from an immanently life-threatening cardiac condition, by implanting a baboon heart in her has stirred the emotions of all and has created a deep debate in the medical and ethical communities. Despite the virtually unanimous opinion of medical experts that the baboon heart … Read more
Because of two court cases in recent months, there is good reason to believe that this country has drawn quite a bit closer to the legalization of euthanasia. This is even more interesting because Roman Catholic priests have played a significant role in both of these cases, and their activities are symbols of the Church’s … Read more
The second draft of the bishops’ pastoral letter developed a number of interesting and insightful views concerning the ethical character of the possession, threat to use and actual use of nuclear weapons.1 This document ought to be carefully studied by all because of its authority, the seriousness with which it considers the matter and the … Read more