NATURAL LAW

by: ST. THOMAS

AQUINAS

CATHOLIC MORALITY
 CATHOLIC MORALITY

The END
(INTENTION/MOTIVE)
DOES NOT
Justify the
MEANS (ACTION)
 UTILITARIAN MORALITY

The END
(INTENTION/MOTIVE)
JUSTIFIES the
MEANS (ACTION)
 Review:
What is the difference between:

HUMAN ACTS
AND
ACTS OFMAN
 3 ELEMENTS
OF
HUMAN ACTS

1. Means or Action
2. End/Intention or Motive
3. Circumstances
1.MEANS/ 2.END/OBJECT(MOTIVE)
ACTION /INTENTION RESULT

1 GOOD + GOOD = Doubly GOOD

2 BAD + BAD = Doubly BAD
3 GOOD + BAD = BAD
4 BAD + GOOD = BAD
5 INDIFFERENT + GOOD = GOOD
6 INDIFFERENT + BAD = BAD
3. CIRCUMSTANCE(SITUATIONS)

●Circumstance can be considered in

various moral questions, thus, we
might ask, ‘who’, ‘when’, ‘how much’
or ‘in what manner’.
●The circumstance of the act, e.g.,
time, place, and condition of the
person.
Example: BAD ACTION+ GOOD INTENTION= BAD

1.WHAT (ACTION/ MEANS)

2.WHY (MOTIVE/INTENTION/ END)

Circumstances:
3.WHO – NAME/ AGE/M or F
4.WHERE- PLACE/LOCATION
5.WHEN- TIME/DAY
6.HOW(in what manner)
 ‘Principle of Double-Effect’.
Case:Pregnant Woman who has a cancer
in the uterus
Action: Removal of the uterus

●GOOD effect: Woman will

survive
●BAD effect: Fetus will die
 ‘Principle of Double-Effect’.
●
has
This principle is used in order to judge the moral acceptability of the human act that
two effects, one is good and the other is
evil.
four conditions

1. The action is good in itself or at least indifferent.

2. The good effect must come first before the evil
effect or a least simultaneously.
3. The good effect must be intended.
4. There must be a proportionately grave reason for
the evil effect to happen.
 Ectopic Pregnancy:
In cases where a pregnancy occurs outside
the uterus, and it poses a grave threat to the
mother's life, the principle of double effect may
be invoked to justify the removal of the
affected fallopian tube, even though it
indirectly results in the loss of the pregnancy.
War and Self-Defense:

The Vatican has applied the principle of

double effect to questions of war and self-
defense. If a nation must defend itself, the
Church may justify actions that result in
unintended civilian casualties, as long as
the primary intent is self-defense.
 Just War Theory:
In the context of just war theory, the Catholic Church
applies the principle of double effect. This means that
during a just war, certain actions may have unintended
harmful consequences (such as civilian casualties), but
they can be morally acceptable if the primary intent is to
achieve a just and necessary goal, like ending
aggression.
Palliative Care:

In end-of-life care, when patients are in

extreme pain, doctors may administer strong
pain relief, even if it could hasten death
as a side effect. The principle of double
effect allows for this, provided the primary
intention is pain relief, not causing death.
Termination of Aggressive Medical Treatment:

When a patient is terminally ill and keeping them

on aggressive life support measures only
prolongs suffering without providing any
significant benefit, the Catholic Church may
support the decision to withdraw such treatment
under the principle of double effect
Before looking at Natural Law in more detail consider these statements and
discuss them.

- Is it natural to be homosexual?

- Is it natural to have an abortion?

- Is it natural to commit suicide?

- Is it natural to use artificial contraception?

●‘Natural’ because the goals and the major values
human beings seek are innate, that is, they are
from the nature and are not selected freely by
individual persons or communities.
●Since human nature does not change, the basic
goals are constant and basic morality does not
change.
● It is considered ‘law’ because by reasoning about
the innate goals and values we can determine
actions, which is oftentimes expressed in norms
or laws that enables the person to achieve their
goals.
It was Aristotle who first developed this approach to
ethics but in seeking to combine Aristotle's thought
with the Catholic Church's teachings, Thomas
Aquinas built on his thought and developed a system
of ethics known as Natural Law.
The Catholic Church to this day bases much of its
teachings, beliefs and practices on Aquinas natural
law theory.
Aquinas believed natural law was the moral code which human beings
were naturally inclined towards. God reveals specific commands but
these do not go against natural law but rather further and develop it.
This reflected Aquinas' approach to theology generally by which natural
theology (which was based on human reason) did not go against
revealed theology (which was based on revelation by God).

Aquinas said that the moral life is the life which is lived according
to reason.
● Based on Aquinas understanding acts such as homosexuality,
use of contraception and masturbation are all immoral
actions.
● The ideal purpose of sex is for reproduction within the confines
of marriage. Any sexual act contrary to this is considered
'unnatural' and therefore immoral.
● The Catholic Church has established its doctrines on the
basis of Aquinas' natural law and that is why the Catholic
Church today maintains a strict adherence to the belief that
Homosexulaity. contraception, abortion, masturbation or
any other sexual act not aimed at procreation is unnatural,
sinful and therefore immoral.
●Aquinas then goes on to say that there is our
human nature, common with other animals, a
desire that has to do with sexual intercourse and
the care of one’s offspring.
●As a matter of fact, animals periodically engage
in sexual intercourse at a specific time of “heat”,
and this could result an offspring. In human
beings, too, that natural inclination to engage in
the sexual act and to reproduce exists.
Background:
The Catholic Church's stance on contraception is a prominent example
of how natural law principles are applied and debated.
Catholic teaching, influenced by natural law, upholds the sanctity of life,
procreation, and the marital act.
They say that when people want to have children, they shouldn't
use certain tools, like condoms or pills, to prevent babies from
being born. They believe this goes against the natural order of
things.
They want people to use natural methods, like tracking a woman's
fertility, to plan when to have children.
Catholic Natural Law Principles at Play:

Sanctity of Life: Catholic natural law

places a strong emphasis on the intrinsic
value and dignity of every human life. All
life is considered a gift from God, and
human beings are stewards of this gift.
Intrinsic Value of Life:

Aquinas, like the Catholic Church,

emphasized the intrinsic value of
human life.
His philosophy asserted that human life
is sacred and must be protected, which
aligns with the Church's stance on
contraception.
Procreation and the Marital Act: Natural law
within the Catholic context promotes the idea
that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse
is procreation and strengthening the marital
bond.
Abortion is deemed immoral as it goes against the natural order of things.
.

Same Sex Marriage is deemed immoral as it goes against the natural order of things.
 Heteronormative Understanding:

Natural law theorists typically adhere to a

heteronormative understanding of human
relationships. They argue that, from a natural
law perspective, the primary purpose of sexual
relationships is procreation and the
preservation of the species. Same-sex
relationships, they contend, deviate from this
natural purpose.
 Reproductive Function:

Natural law theorists argue that marriage, as they

understand it, is closely tied to the reproductive
function. Since same-sex couples cannot
naturally procreate, they see their unions as not
fulfilling the core purpose of marriage within a
natural law framework
●Natural law theory, through its recognition of the
inviolable value of human life
whomever it belongs to , immediately offers an
ethic of interpersonal relationships.
● Coupled with this, the value that Aquinas gives to
the production and care for offspring (the
second natural inclination), as well as to the
promotion of the truth and the peaceful and orderly
social life (the third natural inclination), provide
guidance on how one ought to relate with her
close relations.
What is Law according to St. Thomas Aquinas?

It is an ordinance of reason, for the common good,

made by him who has a care for the community
and it is promulgated

●1. Eternal Law

●2. Human Law
●3. Divine Law
●Eternal law refers to what
God wills for creation, how
each participant in it is
intended to return to Him.
Given our limitations, we
cannot grasp the fullness of
the eternal law. Nevertheless,
it is not completely opaque to
us.
Divine Law
●Human law refers to all instances wherein human
beings construct and enforce laws in there
communities. Given the larger picture of Aquinas’s
view, one would have a basis for assessing the
validity or invalidity of a human law: whether or not
it conforms to the natural law.
● Insofar as a human law goes against what
nature inclines us toward, it is not properly
speaking a law -- in the ideal sense of directing
us to the common good -- but instead is unjust
and can be called a matter of violence.
Four Types of Law (Aquinas)

Eternal Law: The Designer's plan

Divine Law: A manual sent to us

Natural Law: What we observe

Human Law: What we write down

Eternal Law (Top Tier): Eternal law is at the highest level and represents the divine and
unchanging order established by God. It is the ultimate source of all laws and principles in the
universe.

Divine Law (Below Eternal Law): Divine law is derived from eternal law and represents
specific commands and guidance given by God to human beings. It includes religious
scriptures, commandments, and teachings that shape religious morality.

Natural Law (Below Divine Law): Natural law is the moral and ethical principles derived from
the rational understanding of eternal and divine law. It is accessible to human reason and
conscience and serves as a guide for human behavior in harmony with the divine order.

Human or Positive Law (Lowest Tier): Human or positive law represents laws created by
human societies, governments, and legal systems. These laws are based on natural law
principles but can vary from one society to another. They are man-made and intended to
regulate specific societal issues.
What will the Natural law theorists choose?
What will the Natural law theorists choose?
 CASE STUDY
A prominent and much-loved leader has been rushed to the hospital,
grievously wounded by an assassin's bullet. He needs a heart and lung
transplant immediately to survive. No suitable donors are available, but
there is a homeless person in the emergency room who is being kept
alive on a respirator, who probably has only a few days to live, and who
is a perfect donor.
Without the transplant, the leader will die; the homeless person will die
in a few days, anyway. Security at the hospital is very well controlled.
The transplant team could hasten the death of the homeless person and
carry out the transplant without the public ever knowing that they killed
the homeless person for his organs.
What will the Natural law theorists choose?
 Activity: Case Study
● You are a passenger on a ship sailing across the
ocean. Suddenly, your ship is overtaken in a powerful
storm. You escape to a lifeboat with 25 other
passengers. You notice that four of the passengers are
badly injured, and unlikely to survive for more than a
week. You also know that the lifeboat only has enough
food and water to sustain 22 passengers.
● Some of the other passengers are considering
throwing the four injured passengers overboard in
order to save the other survivors.
● If you were a natural law theorist, how would you solve
this ethical dilemma?
 Justify your answer
BASED on NATURAL
LAW theory