Quarter 1 Definitions Test-Catholic Morality

solidarity

the commitment to move from independence to interdependence as we pursue justice and peace for the entire human family in a world of violence and conflict; "If you want peace, work for justice." (Message of His Holiness Paul VI for the celebration of the Day of Peace January 1, 1972).

dignity of work

the respect for the basic rights of workers manifested in fair wages and access to private property, economic initiative, and union membership

care for God's Creation-stewardship

the restraint of consumerism in an effort to protect creation by safeguarding the environmental resources that are the birthright of the poor, future generations, the natural world and humanity as a whole

rights and responsibilities

the fundamental right to life and to all that is necessary for human decency, along with the obligation to provide those same essential needs to one another, to our families, and to the global community

Subsidiarity

The coordination of society's activities such that decisions ought to be made and responsibility distributed to the lowest possible level of organization or local community such that human dignity and freedom are protected. (e.g., the rights of workers to unionize) Higher organizations/governments act only when more local units or levels cannot adequately protect or promote human dignity and freedom (e.g., obligation of UN to sanction countries engaged in human rights violations or to set international adoption standards to combat human trafficking.) These higher or more central units assist the more local or lower units in securing freedom and the common good.

dignity of the human person

the foundational principle that human life is always to be protected from attack by abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and poverty

preferential option for the poor

responsibility to give special consideration to the poorest and most vulnerable in society, especially those who "have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation." (Economic Justice for All, #86)

Culpability

the degree to which someone is at fault for the action they commit.

Magisterium

the Pope and cardinals of the Church; ecclesiastical authority

Declaration on Religious Freedom

Vatican II document that emphasizes that we are bound to follow our conscience

Conscience

the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God

Inviolable

a conscience that cannot be dominated by Church Teaching, but, rather, informed by Church Teaching

Donum Vitae

1987 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Document which addresses the issue of infertility

Dignitas Personae

2008 CDF document which builds on previous teaching about infertility and also addresses the issue of genetic engineering

In Vitro Fertilization

the creation of an embryo outside a woman's body

Artificial Insemination

conception which results from a medical intervention that deposits sperm into the uterus

Surrogate Motherhood

a medical process in which a woman becomes pregnant through artificial means and delivers a baby to be raised by someone else. Presently, the parents who hire the surrogate are the genetic parents--the surrogate has no genetic investment in the embryo.

Fundamental Principles of Dignitas Personae

value of the human person from the moment of conception and the transmission of human life only in the conjugal act

Trinitarian love

reflected in the triangle of mother, father, child

heterologous artificial fertilization

artificial fertilization that uses gametes from at least one person other than the spouses

homologous artificial fertilization

artificial fertilization that uses only gametes from the spouses

GIFT

gamete intrafallopian transfer that places gametes in the fallopian tube rather than the uterus; it is considered licit by the Church

ZIFT

zygote intrafallopian transfer that places a fertilized egg in the fallopian tube; it is considered by the Church to be illicit.

Techniques which remove obstacles to fertilization

hormonal treatments, endometriosis surgery, unblocking fallopian tubes; these are considered licit by the Church

compassionate transfer

a procedure where in vitro-created embryos are placed in a patient's cervix, vagina or uterus where they are expected to perish. This procedure is a more natural means of disposition and provides the opportunity to grieve the loss of a potential child.

Genetic Selection

choosing to eliminate those embryos considered undesirable for various reasons; this is considered illicit by the Church

Prenatal Diagnosis

only wrong when the intention is directed toward qualitative selection and consequential destruction as in preimplantation diagnosis; acceptable when the intention is therapeutic

Interceptive

prevents implantation of a fertilized egg; it is considered illicit by the Church

Contragestative

eliminates an embryo which is already implanted; it is considered illicit by the Church

abortifacient

an agent which ends gestation by terminating the pregnancy

Abortion

termination of a pregnancy

Selective Abortion

terminating a pregnancy because a particular fetus is perceived as having undesirable characteristics or because there is a need or desire to reduce the number of fetuses; it is considered illicit by the Church

Euthanasia

act of commission or omission which brings about the death of a patient who is suffering

Extraordinary Means

those means that in the patient's judgment do not offer a reasonable hope of benefit or entail an excessive burden, or impose excessive expense on the family or the community

Ordinary Means

those means that, in the judgment of the patient, offer a reasonable hope of benefit and do not entail an excessive burden or impose excessive expense on the family or the community

Evangelium Vitae

Gospel of Life -- John Paul II's 1995 encyclical which addresses war, euthanasia, abortion, and capital punishment