Medicine, Health Care, & Ethics: Catholic Voices

12. Health Care Reform and the “Consistent Ethic” - Michael D. Place

Chapter 12 Health Care Reform and the “Consistent Ethic” Michael D. Place The truth is, of course, that each life is of infinite value. Protecting and promoting life, caring for it and defending it is a complex task in social and policy terms. I have struggled with the specifics often and have sensed the limits of reason in the struggle to know the good and do the right. My final hope is that my efforts have been faithful to the truth of the gospel of life and that you and others like you will find in this gospel the vision and strength needed to promote and nurture the great gift of life God has shared with us. —Cardinal Joseph Bernardin1 In his living, and especially in his dying, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin embraced the innate dignity of every human being as God’s creation. He was compassionately connected to others, especially, at the end of his life, to those who also suffered from cancer. These personal qualities gave testimony to three core themes of the Catholic moral vision: • The sacredness of our human life. • Our call to be responsible stewards of that life. • The interwoven social fabric of our human existence.2 This article originally appeared in Health Progress (March–April 2000): 49–55. Copyright© 2000 by the Catholic Health Association. Reprinted with permission. 334 Cardinal Bernardin’s life was based on Catholic belief and practice. The articulation of a simple phrase—“the consistent ethic of life”—was one of his great contributions, drawing together as it does the richness of the scriptures , our Catholic tradition, our experience of ministry, and human reason. Within the Catholic community, the consistent ethic has allowed believers to embrace both the pro-life and the pro-justice efforts of the Church. Although the media sometimes seem to take great delight in reporting disagreements among various groups within the U.S. Catholic Church, the consistent ethic of life acts as a counter to that phenomenon. The consistent ethic binds us together in a way that enhances the Catholic community. Equally important, it enables us to be a stronger witness of Gospel values to the wider public. It calls us to a deeper concern for all people, particularly for the weak and vulnerable, whose dignity is threatened and whose potential is blocked by unjust conditions. Consistent Ethic of Life: Sources and Meaning To understand the consistent ethic of life, I begin with Pope John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae.3 This encyclical proclaimed the “gospel of life” as central to Jesus’ message. It called on the community of faith to mobilize a new culture to counter the moral decline that allows so many kinds of violence —war, abortion, and capital punishment, among them—to threaten life. John Paul II called on “people of life” to share the good news of the gospel of life. I believe that employing the consistent ethic as an intellectual and moral framework—inspired as it is by scripture, rooted in church tradition, born out in experience, and known through reason—is one way to share that good news. Scripture Throughout scripture, there is an undeniable affirmation of the sacred nature of human life, our duty to steward it wisely, and our obligation to protect and nurture the lives of others, particularly the weak and vulnerable . In Genesis, we read that humankind was created in the image of God. “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Gn 1:31). At the end of his long life, Moses exhorted the Israelites to “choose life” (Dt 30:19). Not only are we called to life; we are called also, through Christ, to “have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). We are to treasure our life and, as in health c are and the “ c onsistent ethi c ” 335 the parable of the talents, to be trustworthy servants who use our gifts wisely (Mt 25:14–30) As a way of recognizing life’s sanctity and our own potential, we are also called to protect and nurture the lives of others. St. Paul exemplified this when he wrote to the Thessalonians, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves” (1 Thes 2:8). At the end of time, all people, indeed all nations, will be judged by how...