Personhood status of the human zygote, embryo, fetus

The fields of biology, medicine, and embryology have described the developmental milestones of humans throughout gestation in great detail. It is less clear as to when humans are recognized as people, persons, or beings with rights that are protected by legislation. The practice of law is irrevocably intertwined with that of ethical conduct; and the time at which a human life is considered a person has implications that extend to health care, legislation on abortion, and autonomy of individuals. This article reviews the economical position that fertilization is the moment that personhood of the conceptus begins. Alternate positions proposing that personhood begins at other possible times after fertilization are presented and contrasted to the economical hypothesis. Summary: This article is an original work critically analyzing the various arguments for human personhood at fertilization and thereafter. The various positions on human personhood are compared and contrasted herein. The time of the human lifespan at which personhood is conferred has important implications for health care, legislation, and personal autonomy.

Health Policy and Ethics: A Catholic Contribution in a Pluralistic Society

Health policy generally seeks to improve the overall health of people in society. Since public health policy involves human values, decisions, and actions, it is inescapably ethical. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the need for a systematic approach to the ethical analysis of public policy. Some government health-policy statements attempt to provide ethical frameworks. In our pluralistic societies, however, these tend to be pragmatic and lack a solid grounding in an adequate understanding of the human person. This could lead to justifying what is popular rather than what is ethical. This article attempts to show how a Catholic moral approach, which provides a solid foundation for ethics, can make a significant contribution to a discussion of health-policy ethics in a pluralistic society.

Another Response to Todd Salzman and Michael Lawler's The Sexual Person

In their book, which has received mixed responses, Salzman and Lawler develop a “revisionist” approach to Catholic sexual ethics. They invite respectful dialogue. In this article I offer another response and attempt to engage in such dialogue by addressing both some things they say which I agree with and some things they say which I find problematic in certain ways. This includes their treatments of experience, science, and the Bible as these relate to homosexuality, and their approach to Christian sexual ethics and how they apply this to homosexuality and some other sexual issues. While Salzman and Lawler attempt to undermine a number of traditional Christian and official Catholic norms on these subjects, I offer some evidence and arguments in support of these norms. In this way I hope to contribute in a small way to the understanding of sexual persons and ethics.