Category: Making Sense of Bioethics

On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Cremains and respect for the human body

In the famous story of David and Goliath, Goliath boasts to the young David that after he kills him, he will give his flesh “to the birds of the sky and beasts of the field.” He conveys his profound disdain for David by speaking this way, deprecating even his corpse.

This offends our sensibility that dead bodies should not be desecrated, but should instead be respectfully buried. Proper disposition and care of another’s body also manifests our Christian faith in the resurrection of that body on the Last Day.

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On
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk

Embryos and the ‘14-day rule’: Mechanism devised to justify experiments on human embryos

Arguments in favor of research on human embryos typically play off our unfamiliarity with the way that we ourselves once appeared and existed as embryos.

Humans in their tiniest stages are indeed unfamiliar to us, and they hardly look anything like “one of us.” Yet the undeniable conclusion, that every one of us was once an embryo, remains an indisputable scientific dogma, causing a “fingernails on the chalkboard” phenomenon for researchers every time they choose to experiment on embryos or destroy them for research.

To enable scientists to get beyond the knowledge that they’re experimenting on or destroying fellow humans, clever stratagems and justifications have had to be devised.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

On ‘aging gracefully’

It seems odd, even a bit repulsive, when we encounter tales of elderly men running after women who are young enough to be their granddaughters.

The wheelchair-bound billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall was 89 years old when he married the 26-year-old Anna Nicole Smith. He had met the Playboy model and reality TV star in a strip club. Anna insisted that she really did love the old man and wasn’t in it for the money.

Redirecting our focus

With age should come wisdom. It’s appropriate and fitting for older men to leave behind their former ways and no longer live and act like college frat boys. It’s right to expect growth in self-control as we mature and to expect a more reflective and sober approach to life.

 

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Human organs from pigs: Is it kosher?

Human beings can have a visceral reaction to the thought of growing human kidneys or livers inside the bodies of pigs or cows.

A participant in a recent online forum on human/animal chimeras described it this way: “Unbelievable!!! . . . If there was anything that was more anti-God it is the genetic formation of chimeras which is nothing more than Frankenstein monster creation.”

Evaluating the practice

Although the idea of a chimeric animal is indeed unusual, several factors need to be considered in evaluating the practice of growing human organs within animals.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Making good choices, supporting those struggling with addiction

Addiction can be extremely harmful, and in some cases, fatal for those individuals ensnared by it. It can be seriously disruptive and damaging to those around them.

Who is to blame when it comes to addiction? Family and friends may think to themselves, “Why can’t Jane just stop drinking?” Or, “Doesn’t Joe understand that his gambling addiction is bankrupting the family?” Or, “Can’t Bob see how his pornography habit is destroying his marriage and his relationships?”

For those facing addiction, it seems they ought to be able to recognize their behavior as harmful and turn away from it by a resolute decision. Family and friends, however, can face years of frustration when they see their loved ones fall into a slow motion “crash and burn,” spiraling downwards as they remain unwilling or unable to step away from their addiction.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

A higher standard than for cats and dogs

Sometimes people will point out: “We euthanize our pets when they suffer, and they are clearly creatures of God, so why can’t we euthanize a sick and suffering person who wants it? It seems like we treat our dogs and cats better than we treat our suffering family members.”

The way we treat animals, however, should not be the measure of how we treat fellow human beings. We keep animals as pets, but we don’t do the same with humans. We use animals to make clothing and food, but we don’t do the same with humans.

Differences between humans and animals

For all our similarities to the rest of the animal kingdom, we are aware of a fundamental difference in kind between ourselves and our furry friends. We are not meant to die just as animals do, or be euthanized as they are. The death of a human is a more complex event that has other important realities associated with it.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Parents play key role in sex education

While some parents might be happy to avoid the awkward conversations that arise around human sexuality by allowing the school system to provide their children’s sex education, it is nonetheless important for parents to recognize that they are the most significant teachers and models for their own children as they mature sexually.

Instilling a healthy attitude about sexuality in young people involves a variety of considerations, including conveying a proper sense of constraints and boundaries. These boundaries arise organically through the virtue of chastity, by which a person acquires the ability to renounce self, to make sacrifices, and to wait generously in consideration of loving fidelity toward a future spouse, out of self-respect, and out of fidelity to God.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Changing my body to ‘match’ my ‘identity’

The famous Olympian Bruce Jenner made headlines recently when he told ABC News, “For all intents and purposes, I’m a woman . . . That female side is part of me. That’s who I am.”

He has been receiving hormonal treatments to acquire feminine traits and is not yet sure whether he will undergo surgery to “complete” the process.

His dramatic case raises important ethical and medical concerns about properly understanding our identity and respecting the given order of our bodies.

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