H EALTH C ARE E THICS
A C ATHOLIC T HEOLOGICAL A NALYSIS
F IFTH E DITION
Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. Jean K. deBlois, C.S.J. Kevin D. O’Rourke, O.P.
Georgetown University Press
Washington, D.C.
As of January 1, 2007, 13-digit ISBN numbers will replace the current 10-digit system. Paperback: 978-1-58901-116-8 Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C. © 2006 by Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Nihil Obstat Reverend Patrick J. Boyle, S.J., Ph.D. Censor Deputatus November 16, 2005 Imprimatur Reverend George J. Rassas Vicar General Archdiocese of Chicago November 23, 2005 The Nihil Obstat and the Imprimatur are official declarations that a book is free of doctrinal and moral error. No implication is contained that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the content, opinions, or statements expressed. Nor do they assume any legal responsibility associated with publication. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ashley, Benedict M. Health care ethics : a Catholic theological analysis / Benedict M. Ashley, Jean K. deBlois, Kevin D. O’Rourke. — 5th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-58901-116-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-58901-116-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Medical ethics—Religious aspects—Catholic Church. 2. Medicine—Religious aspects— Catholic Church. I. DeBlois, Jean. II. O’Rourke, Kevin D. III. Title. [DNLM: 1. Ethics, Medical. 2. Delivery of Health Care—ethics. 3. Catholicism. 4. Bioethical Issues. 5. Religion and Medicine. W 50 A817h 2006] R724.A74 2006 174.2—dc22 2006003222 This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in
Citations: Bioethics in a Multicultural Age Future, introduced it to include the many new interrelated biological issues arising from life sciences and their social implications (Potter 1971)