Kevin O'Rourke

Assisted suicide: An evaluation

Physician-assisted suicide is a form of euthanasia. As such, it is contrary to ones ethical responsibility to self, community, and God. Religious tradition, medical tradition, and modern psychology attest that physician-assisted suicide does not solve any human problem.

The Brophy case: the use of artificial hydration and nutrition.

Case Study: Paul Brophy, a 48-year old fireman living in Boston, married to Patricia Brophy for 27 years, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage as a result of a ruptured basilar tip aneurysm on March 22, 1983. In order to correct the aneurysm. Brophy underwent major surgery involving a right frontotemporal craniotomy and a clipping of the basilar tip aneurysm. Postoperatively, he never regained consciousness, and has remained in a persistent vegetative state. Subsequent to his surgery of April 6, 1983 and prior to his discharge on June 28, 1983, Brophy received multiple CT scans, which showed a complete infarction (destruction of tissue secondary to lack of blood flow) of his left posterior cerebral artery and infarction of the right temporal lobe of the brain. In January, 1985, Patricia Brophy, with the consent of the five Brophy children, all of whom are adults, petitioned to have all life sustaining treatment removed from her husband, including the discontinuation of all artificial nutrition and hydration. What decision should the court make?

Ethical opinions in regard to the question of early delivery of anencephalic infants.

Recently, a group of obstetricians, neonatal care nurses, social and ethicists representing health care facilities with neonatal care units gathered to discuss the early delivery of anencephalic infants. Over a period of six months, the group discussed the issue from medical, nursing, family and ethical perspectives. The following is a paper submitted to the study group concerning the issue from an ethical perspective grounded in the Catholic tradition.

Induced Delivery of Anencephalic Fetuses: A Response to James L. Walsh and Moira M. McQueen

James Walsh and Moira McQueen accurately conclude that the early delivery of anencephalic fetuses is morally acceptable, but the reasoning they use to reach that conclusion is flawed. First, the principle of double effect does not require a weighing of good and evil, but rather seeks a sufficient reason for tolerating the physical evil indirectly intended. Second, the principle of double effect requires a clear distinction between physical and moral causality. Third, the Catholic moral tradition will not admit direct and intended killing of the innocent. Rather, early delivery of anencephalic fetuses is permissible because of the pathology associated with delivery of anencephalic fetuses at full term. Thus, the early delivery of an anencephalic infant is acceptable if the purpose of the moral act is avoiding a pathological condition on the part of the mother.

Developments in Biotechnology: Ethical Perspectives

Several new developments in biotechnology have been introduced in our generation, for example, organ transplants, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, cycIosporin to reduce reaction of immune system, in-vitro fertilization and embryo transplant, research with fetal tissue, and implantation of fetal tissue, research upon human embryos not yet implanted in the womb. Many other new techniques or therapies could be cited. Clearly, all these developments are possible, but are they beneficial for individuals and for the human community? Discerning whether these new developments are beneficial for individuals and the human community is the work of ethics . Ethics is not an arcane discipline, separate from science and scientists. Rather it is an integral part of scientific endeavor, and a responsibility of every scientist, because scientists and sciences should not seek to develop and produce the possible unless it is also beneficial for human beings and for society. Because scientists have ethical deliberation as part of their responsibility, they often benefit from collaboration with people who devote more time to ethics. Ethicists provide information to scientists which enables them to make beneficial decisions in regard to the effect of medicine and science upon culture and individual persons. Thus, an ethician is something like a midwife; not intimately involved in the generation or birth of new developments of medicine and science, but facilitating generation and birth by providing information and insight which help scientists and physicians make decisions which are beneficial for individuals and the human community. In this presentation, I shall select one new development of biotechnology, research on human embryos, and use it to illustrate potential ethical approaches to biotechnology. I shall present the ethical