Thomistic Principles and Bioethics

169 Pages·2006·1.03 MB·English

by  Jason T. Eberl

Thomistic Principles
and Bioethics
Thomas Aquinas is one of the foremost thinkers in Western philosophy and Christian
scholarship, recognized as a significant voice in both theological discussions and
secular philosophical debates. Alongside a revival of interest in Thomism in
philosophy,scholars have realized its relevance when addressing certain contemporary
issues in bioethics.This book offers a rigorous interpretation of Aquinas’s metaphysical
and ethical thought,and highlights their significance to questions in bioethics.
Jason T.Eberl applies Aquinas’s views on the seminal topics of human nature and
morality to key questions in bioethics at the margins of human life – questions
which are currently contested in academia,politics,and the media,such as:
● When does a human person’s life begin? How should we define and clinically
determine a person’s death?
● Is abortion ever morally permissible? How should we resolve the conflict
between the potential benefits of embryonic stem cell research and the lives
of human embryos?
● Does cloning involve a misuse of human ingenuity and technology?
● What forms of treatment are appropriate for irreversibly comatose patients?
How should we care for patients who experience unbearable suffering as they
approach the end of life?
● What ethical mandates and concerns underlie the practice of organ donation?
Thomistic Principles and Bioethics presents a significant philosophical viewpoint
which should motivate further dialogue amongst religious and secular arenas of
inquiry concerning such complex issues of both individual and public concern.It
will be illuminating reading for scholars, postgraduate and research students of
philosophy,metaphysics,ethics,bioethics,and moral theology.
Jason T.Eberl is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis (IUPUI).He is an affiliate faculty member of the Indiana
University Center for Bioethics, and co-director of IUPUI’s Master of Arts in
philosophy program.He has published articles in the journals: Bioethics,Journal of
Medicine and Philosophy, The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, and Review of
Metaphysics.
Routledge Annals of Bioethics
Series Editors:
Mark J.Cherry
St Edwards University,USA
Ana Smith Iltis
Saint Louis University,USA
Bioethics has become a truly international phenomenon.Secular Western bioethics
in particular lays claim to a universal account of proper moral deportment,including
the foundations of law and public policy,as well as the moral authority for national
and international institutions to guarantee uniformity of practice, secure basic
human rights,and promote social justice.
Through foundational philosophical,religious,and cultural perspectives,clinical
case studies,and legal analysis,the books in this series document,review,and explore
emerging bioethical viewpoints as well as the state of the art of this global endeavor.
Volumes will critically appreciate diverse legal, moral, cultural, and religious
viewpoints representing the various regions of the world,from mainland China and
Hong Kong,Taiwan,Japan,India and East Asia more generally,to Europe,the Middle
East,Australia and New Zealand, to South America and North America. Moral
perspectives range from Orthodox Christianity,Roman Catholicism,and contem-
porary Protestant Christianity,to Orthodox,Conservative and Reformed Judaism,to
Islam,Buddhism,Confucianism,Hinduism,and so forth,to secular liberalism.
The Annals of Bioethics compasses monographs and edited volumes on moral
theory, normative health care practice, case studies, and public policy as well as
volumes documenting and assessing legal,religious,and cultural responses to specific
aspects of the fast-paced developments in health care and medical technology.
1 Research Ethics
Edited by Ana Smith Iltis
2 Thomistic Principles and Bioethics
Jason T.Eberl
Previous titles to appear in the Routledge Annals of Bioethics include:
Regional Perspectives in Bioethics
Edited by Mark J.Cherry and John F.Peppin
Religious Perspectives on Bioethics
Edited by Mark J.Cherry,Ana Iltis,and John F.Peppin
Thomistic Principles
and Bioethics
Jason T. Eberl
First published 2006
by Routledge
2 Park Square,Milton Park,Abingdon,Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave,New York,NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,an informa business
© 2006 Jason T.Eberl
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
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collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical,or other means,now known or hereafter
invented,including photocopying and recording,or in any
information storage or retrieval system,without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN10:0–415–77063–7 (Print Edition)
ISBN13:978–0–415–77063–7
To my parents Robert (1936–2001) and
Betty – “Bear” and “Tiny”

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Aquinas’s works and abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1 Aquinas’s account of human nature and natural
law theory 4
Introduction 4
Aquinas’s account of human nature 4
Aquinas’s natural law theory 9
Aquinas and the principle of double effect 17
Conclusion 21
2 The beginning of a human person’s life 23
Introduction 23
Aquinas’s account of human embryogenesis 24
Recent interpretations 26
Conclusion 42
3 The end of a human person’s life 43
Introduction 43
Aquinas’s account of human death 43
Recent interpretations 45
Conclusion 60
4 Issues at the beginning of human life:abortion,
embryonic stem cell research,and cloning 62
Introduction 62
Abortion and abortifacient contraceptives 62
viii Contents
Human embryonic stem cell research 65
Therapeutic and reproductive human cloning 78
Conclusion 93
5 Issues at the end of human life:PVS patients,
euthanasia,and organ donation 95
Introduction 95
Metaphysical and moral status of PVS patients 95
Euthanasia 98
Organ donation 116
Conclusion 126
Notes 128
Bibliography 137
Index 151
Acknowledgments
A number of colleagues have contributed to this volume’s development at various
stages and in myriad ways. I began working on Aquinas’s metaphysical account
of human nature as a graduate student at Arizona State University, under
Prof. Michael White, and then at Saint Louis University, under Prof. Eleonore
Stump.Their careful attention to detail and generous giving of their time in
reviewing my work were invaluable.Prof.White first helped me to see the con-
nection between historical and contemporary analytic approaches to philosophical
issues. Prof. Stump assisted me greatly in developing this connection in my
research,and continues to be a mentorto me in the truest and most complete sense
of the word.My interest in applying Aquinas’s thought to issues in bioethics was
inspired by Fr John Kavanaugh,S.J.,who has also mentored me through graduate
studies and beyond, and has been a continual source of wisdom and learning.
My initial work on this volume as part of my doctoral dissertation owes much to
each of them,as well as to Fr Theodore Vitali,C.P.,whose zealous regard for the
success of his students is quite evident and infectious.
Research for this volume began while I participated in an exchange program at
the Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität in Frankfurt am Main,Germany.I am
grateful to the Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen for their
hospitality,to Prof.Matthias Lutz-Bachmann for his guidance and an invitation to
deliver a presentation to his graduate colloquium, and to Prof. Jan Aertsen,
Prof.Ludger Honnefelder,Andreas Niederberger,and Stephanie Vesper for their
helpful discussions.
I completed drafts of Chapters 2 and 3 while visiting the Center for Philosophy
of Religion at the University of Notre Dame. I wish to thank the fellows and
faculty of the Center and the Philosophy Department, particularly Profs Kelly
Clark,Fred Crosson,Thomas Flint,Jaegwon Kim,Brian Leftow,Hugh McCann,
Alvin Plantinga,Michael Rea,David Solomon,and Peter van Inwagen.
Research for Chapters 4 and 5, and completion of this volume, has been
accomplished at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. I greatly
appreciate my colleagues’ vital contributions, particularly Prof. Michael Burke’s
detailed reading and commentary on the entire manuscript, Prof. John Tilley’s
careful reading of Chapter 5 and late-night discussions of ethics,and Prof.Eric
Meslin’s professional guidance and support from the Indiana University Center for