Theology Test 1

Indirect Abortion

- a procedure performed to treat a serious, life-threatening pathological condition in a pregnant woman, which results in the foreseen but unintended death of the fetus as a secondary effect.

 The Principle of Double Effect

if the act itself is good, the intended outcome is not the child's death, the good effect (saving the mother) is achieved by the act itself, and there is a proportionately grave reason to proceed.

Excommunication

- A severe penalty that results in a grave sin against canon law.  An excommunicated person is not permitted to celebrate or receive the Sacraments.

the Church supports medical advances that help couples conceive, it distinguishes between procedures that assist natural conception and those that replace the sexual act entirely.

Reproductive Technologies 

Procreative dimension:

Openness to creating new life

Unitive dimension

The complete gift of self between spouses

1. removing an egg from a woman's body

2.  combining it with sperm in a laboratory dish

3.  then transferring the resulting embryo to the woman's uterus.

IVF involves

Encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968

- Marriage has two primary purposes: unity between spouses and procreation

- These purposes should not be artificially separated

- Sexual intercourse should remain open to the possibility of creating life

- Humans should work within God's natural order rather than against it

What is the Humanae Vitae

- Interfere with natural biological processes

- May lead to moral problems in society

- Separate the unitive and procreative aspects of marriage

Artificial Means of Birth Control

Natural Family Planning

natural methods of birth control:

- Work with the body's natural cycles

- Require mutual cooperation and self-discipline

- Respect the natural order of human sexuality

- The primary purpose is treating a disease or medical condition

- Preventing pregnancy is not the direct intention

- The treatment is medically necessary

(medical treatment exceptions) The Church permits medical treatments that may prevent pregnancy as a secondary effect, if

Euthanasia/Physician Assisted Suicide-

- Intentionally causing death to alleviate suffering.

- a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.  (Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II)

- Always morally wrong

Ordinary Means of Medical Care

A form of treatment that provides a reasonable hope of benefit and does not involve excessive burdens. 

- patients are morally obligated to use ordinary means to prolong life. 

Extraordinary Care

Treatment that imposes excessive burdens or offers little to no reasonable hope of benefit.

- under no moral obligation to accept or use extraordinary means of care. 

a persistent vegetative state (PVS)

specific medical state characterized by a complete and irreversible loss of consciousness.

Terminal Condition

an irreversible condition or injury that will inevitably lead to death in the near future.

Advanced Directive

a written statement of a person's wishes regarding medical treatment, often including a living will, made to ensure those wishes are carried out should the person be unable to communicate them to a doctor.

Redemptive Suffering

The belief that when a person unites their own suffering with the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross, it can be transformed into a spiritual offering that contributes to the salvation of souls and the he reparation of sin.

• Abortion

• Physical attack against the Pope

• Rejecting the faith

• Priest breaking the seal of confession

• Desecration of the Eucharist

examples of excommunication