, Winter 2007

The Bible says nothing directly about most contemporary bioethical issues. Authors of Scripture could never have imagined organ transplants or the creation of human life in a Petri dish. Thus, the Bible does not tell us directly whether we should engage in such practices.

Yet, the Bible is never without relevance for human decision-making in any area, since it helps us to understand who the human person is, what our destiny is and what we should do to achieve that destiny.

Pope John Paul II undoubtedly carefully chose the title for his encyclical on bioethics, calling it Evangelium Vitae, the Gospel of Life, or the Good News of life. All human beings naturally value life, we naturally know that it is wrong to deliberately kill innocent human beings and that it is good to heal the sick and relieve the suffering of those in pain. But Christians know more. We know the good news that every human being is sacred and that we are destined for eternal life. And we know that suffering has redemptive value.

Because their whole vocation is directed towards healing, health care professionals are very close to Jesus. Health care professionals are helping to bring about the kingdom. Christ said, "And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons" (Mt 10:7, 8).

In respect to beginning of life issues, Evangelium Vitae cites such key scriptural passages as "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth" (Gn 1:28), and "You formed my inmost being" (Ps 139:13), and "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you" (Jer 1:5). That John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb at the sound of the voice of the mother of his Savior is a powerful biblical portrayal of the fullness of life of the unborn. Modern science provides the scientific proof of the humanity of the unborn but it does not "discover" the humanity of the unborn. It confirms what Scripture reveals.

In respect to end of life issues, Evangelium Vitae tells us that our faith will sustain us in times of great suffering. Psalm 116:10 states, "I kept my faith even when I said, 'I am greatly afflicted.'" Believers who suffer and who unite their suffering with that of their Savior on the cross and those who are dying should have confidence that Christ says to them what he said to the good thief: "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Lk 23:43). Health care professionals are like Mary the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene and St. John who stood at the foot of the cross of Jesus. Every suffering person is close to Jesus and to be close to those who suffer is to be close to Jesus.

John Paul II in his encyclical Salvifici Doloris (On Salvific Suffering) states that "suffering unleashes love." Those who are suffering provide us with an opportunity to show our love. True Catholic bioethics attempt to guide health care professionals to ensure that their care honors the deepest truths about the human person.

While the Bible says nothing about such issues as embryonic stem cell research or assisted suicide, bioethicists steeped in the teachings of the Bible will find invaluable assistance for discerning the morality of such practices.

Dr. Janet E. Smith is the Fr. Michael McGivney Chair of Life Ethics. She is an internationally recognized writer and lecturer on bioethics.