Silence of Christian Bioethics

For the past fifty years Christian Bioethics served as the counterbalance between the meteoric advances in medicine questioning whether the procedures are morally licit. It is the familiar adage, “it can be done, but ought it?”. A simple example of the relationship between medicine and Christian Bioethics can be seen with the advent of IVF technologies. Science conceived a child outside of the conjugal act and Christian Bioethics was quick to condemn the procedure as against Natural Law God’s will for human creation.  

Another centerpiece of Christian Bioethics defended is the autonomy of the patient when it comes to his/her care. As little as 24 months ago it would be unheard of for Bioethics to accept the proposition of disregarding a patient’s autonomy regardless of the situation.  The importance of a human being’s freedom and the ability to make his own choices is a fundamental right which can never be legislated or forced upon any person. Dignitatis Humane teaches, “This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.”

With the dictums of mandates coming from the Vatican and diocese across the country, it appears the absolute right of patient autonomy is not so absolute at all. The mandates as a condition of employment are forcing individuals to relinquish their right if they want to stay employed. A textbook definition of duress. Little is mentioned about this infringement on personal freedom mainly because the group who previously defended the dignity of the human person seems to be deserting them.      

Christian Bioethics was also very outspoken with the evil of abortion. It is well established the vaccines are “fruit from the poison tree” meaning aborted human cells are used in research and production of the shot. A person who holds abortion is an intrinsic evil, meaning the very nature of the act is completely income partible with God’s love it can never be justified. A person wanting to abstain from the vaccine because of the deep held belief seems to be on their own with no help from Christian Bioethics. When it comes to the vaccine, the question of whether we ought to cooperate in evil is never asked.

Christian tradition has taught each individual is responsible for his own life.  A person has every right to question if the vaccination is a right choice for his life. There may be concern about immediate or long-term side effects the vaccine may cause. It is not illogical to seriously consider what a spike protein injected in to a body can do to organs and systems. The huge problem is no one really knows. To make matters worse, if a person chooses to get the vaccine, all liability rests on the individual person, while all other entities are protected. This fact alone is enough to ponder an individual’s responsibility for his own health.
If you have made the decision not to take the vaccine, you are in solidarity with a lot of people who still hold the body God has given you is your responsibility and yours alone.