Problems of Bioethics

Bioethics is a recently coined word. It comes from

"bio" which means life and from "ethics" which is
morality. Bioethics is that branch of Ethics which deals
directly with the problems of life and dying, of health
and of healing. It focuses attention to the need for a
healthier world in accordance with the dictates of
reason. "Our main concern and
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according to Bernard Haring, "will be the promotion of

healthy relationships and of co-responsibility in
creative liberty and fidelity
The Meaning of Health
We ordinarily refer to health as bodily fitness,
consisting in the absence of pain or illness. Health,
however, in its holistic sense, includes the bodily,
psychic, spiritual and religious dimensions of man. A
healthy person then is one who is physically fit,
emotionally balanced, mentally and spiritually
integrated. This is the definition of health evolving from
the discoveries of the sciences.
Personal and Social Responsibility for Health
Life is precious. It is our main concern and duty.
Health is our personal responsibility. This requires that
we adopt a style of life that fosters health. "We cannot
ignore," says Bernard Haring, "the old health rales
such as the proper thythm between work and leisure,
fasting and prayer, and thus leaming about the mutual
conditioning and oneness of
body and soul
Crimes Against Human Life
1. Suicide
Suicide is defined as the intentional killing of oneself
and by one's own authority. Suicide is immoral because
it contradicts natural law. Life is sacred, a gift from
God. For the average Filipino, life is simply "hiram sa
Maykapal" and to destroy it is the height of ingratitude,
a sort of weakness to face the challenge of survival.
2. Mutilation
Mutilation is the cutting off of a limb or removal of an
organ integral to the human body. The duty to
preserve life extends to the conservation of all bodily
parts and functions. Therefore, the human body may
not be mutilated unless the motive is itself the
preservation of life. Thus, a gangrenous limb may be
amputated since it imperils the survival of the
person..
3. Sterilization
Sterility is the incapacity to transmit life.
Sterilization is a surgical operation which renders
a man or a woman incapable of transmitting life.
Sterilization is carried out by vasectomy for the
male and by tubal ligation for he female.
4. Euthanasia
Euthanasia, or mercy killing, is an act of inducing
death painlessly in order to abort the suffering of one
afflicted with an incurable or unbearable sickness,
Euthanasia is regarded as homicide or murder.
5. Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is the state of psychic or physical
dependence, or both. on a dangerous drug, arising in
a person following the administration of use of drug
on a periodic or continuous basis.
6. Alcoholism
Alcoholism is the state of dependence on the
stimulation of wine and liquor. In extreme cases,
alcoholism has the same evil effects of drug
addiction. Alcoholism saps a person's energy, dulls
his mind, and destroys his capacity for creative
activity. Due to their erratic behavior and short span
of attention, alcoholics are incapable of holding jobs
as well as establishing a meaningful relationships
with others.
7. Abortion
Abortion is the intentional expulsion of a fetus
which cannot survive by itself outside of the
womb of the mother.
Ethicists and theologians distinguish between
indirect and direct abortion.
1. Indirect or therapeutic abortion is that which is
performed for the purpose of saving the life of the
mother. This is regarded as morally permissible. The
case, however, does not imply that the mother's life is
simply preferred over that of the child. The choice is
between a life which can be saved and a life which
cannot be saved.
2. Direct or Selective Abortion is the expulsion of the
fetus by the willful wishes of the parents for purposes
other than saving the life of the mother. Thus,
abortion is resorted to as a means of limiting the
number of children; as a political ploy to control
population growth; or, simply, as means of eliminating
an "unwanted" baby for social or economic reasons.
Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice: The debate on abortion
has divided public opinion into two opposing
camps: the pro-life and the pro-choice.
1. Pro-life advocates adhere to the principle which
calls for the protection and preservation of human
life in all its forms.
2. Pro-choice advocates maintain that the mother,
being a human
being, and not merely a machine of procreation, has
the right and the
freedom to decide when to continue or terminate
pregnancy. The State has
no authority to prohibit abortion, since this belongs to
the domain of the
parents, especially the woman, as a matter of human
right.