Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs : International Advisory Board Member

During the past few decades, high-profile cases like that of Terry Schiavo have fueled the public debate over forgoing or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration from patients in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). These cases, whether involving adults or young children, have forced many to begin thinking in a measured and careful way about the moral legitimacy of allowing patients to die. Can families forgo or withdraw artificial hydration and nutrition from their loved ones when no hope of recovery seems possible?Many Catholics know that Catholic moral theology has formulated a well-developed and well-reasoned position on this and other end-of-life issues, one that distinguishes between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" treatment. But recent events have caused uncertainty and confusion and even acrimony among the faithful. In his 2004 allocution, Pope John Paul II proposed that artificial nutrition and hydration is a form of basic care, thus suggesting that the provision of such care to patients neurologically incapable of feeding themselves should be considered a moral obligation. The pope's address, which seemed to have offered a new development to decades of Catholic health care ethics, sparked a contentious debate among the faithful over how best to treat permanently unconscious patients within the tenets of Catholic morality. In this comprehensive and balanced volume, Ronald Hamel and James Walter present twenty-one essays and articles, contributed by physicians, clergy, theologians, and ethicists, to reflect the spectrum of perspectives on the issues that define the Catholic debate. Organized into six parts, each with its own introduction, the essays offer clinical information on PVS and feeding tubes; discussions on the Catholic moral tradition and how it might be changing; ecclesiastical and pastoral statements on forgoing or withdrawing nutrition and hydration; theological and ethical analyses on the issue; commentary on Pope John Paul II's 2004 allocution; and the theological commentary, court decisions, and public policy resulting from the Clarence Herbert and Claire Conroy legal cases.A valuable resource for students and scholars, this teachable volume invites theological dialogue and ethical discussion on one of the most contested issues in the church today.

Artificial Nutrition and Hydration and the Permanently Unconscious Patient: The Catholic Debate

Since the 1970s, the interrelated areas of medical genetics and biotechnology have developed dramatically and afforded increased control over the design of living organisms. From the very beginning, controversies over these techniques and their applications to plants, animals, and humans have raged in many disciplines―including science, philosophy, ethics, and religion. This book brings together the seminal essays of two leading Catholic moral theologians―Thomas Shannon and James Walter―in an effort to identify the key ethical and theological questions raised by the new genetic medicine. What is unique about this book is that it specifically and directly brings modern genetics and the Roman Catholic theological and ethical tradition into dialogue. While the authors argue that the Catholic tradition has much to offer in putting this current scientific revolution into perspective, they well understand the need to avoid merely repeating the tradition in favor of bringing the best of the tradition to bear on the precise questions posed by modern genetic technology.

The New Genetic Medicine: Theological and Ethical Reflections

Contemporary Issues in Bioethics: A Catholic Perspective applies the best of the Roman Catholic theological and ethical tradition to some of the most controversial and complex bioethical topics that confront contemporary society. Authors James Walter and Thomas Shannon offer a fresh analysis from the Catholic tradition and show how a specifically Catholic perspective might inform public discussion on these issues. In an age where it is claimed that religion should not be part of ethical discussion on bioethical issues, this book takes a decidedly different tack and shows that the Catholic tradition has something very important to offer.Contemporary Issues in Bioethics combines clear, concise and accessible prose with teachable case studies on such issues as reproductive cloning, quality of life and clinical decision making, and the withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration. Divided into four sections—theological issues, issues at the beginning of life, issues with genetic medicine and the care of ill patients, and issues at the end of life— this book is ideal for use in college, university, and seminary courses on bioethics, as well as for medical professionals, policy makers, and individual readers.

Contemporary Issues in Bioethics: A Catholic Perspective

Conversion and Discipleship: A Christian Foundation for Ethics and Doctrine [...

Conversion and Discipleship: A Christian Foundation for Ethics and Doctrine

Loyola Marymount University is a top-ranked national university by U.S. News and World Report, which places LMU among the top six Jesuit universities in the country and in the top six private universities in California. Founded in 1911, LMU is a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university with more than 7,100 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. LMU offers 56 undergraduate majors and 56 minor programs, along with 46 master’s degree programs, three doctorate programs and 12 credential/authorization programs. LMU’s intercollegiate athletics teams compete in the West Coast Conference with 14 Division I varsity sports.

LMU news and events are found at: www.lmu.edu/news.

Loyola Marymount University

James J. Walter holds the Austin & Ann O’Malley Chair in Bioethics at Loyola Marymount University. After completing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Dr. Walter earned five advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in ethics, from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Professor Walter completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Clinical Bioethics from the Department of Medicine at Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University of Chicago, and he has had extensive experience as a bioethics consultant to many hospitals. Currently, he serves as a bioethics consultant to the three medical centers and hospice facility belonging to the Citrus Valley Health Partners in Covina, CA.

James Walter

Loyola Marymount University

Media

Biography

Education

Catholic University of Leuven

Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University of Chicago

Industry Expertise

Affiliations

Links

Event Appearances

The Affordable Care Act: The Ongoing Debate in the United States About "Obamacare"