The complexities of navigating healthcare treatments within an ethical framework are especially challenging in New Zealand, where secular providers may not align with Catholic ethical principles. The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, issued by the USCCB, address these challenges, offering guidance for healthcare professionals, patients, and families.
Category: Bioethics
Egg freezing: A work benefit?
Two leading technology companies, Apple and Facebook, are funding their workers or ‘partners’ to have their eggs frozen for future IVF. This is already covered by Facebook's employee benefit plan, and Apple plans to introduce it in the 2015. Both…
The Edges of Life
The edges of life are controversial. On one side there are the debates about contraception, abortion and in vitro fertilisation. At the end of life the debates are about euthanasia, organ transplantation, and its cousin, brain death. Trauma surgeon Peter…
IVF as exploitation
I think the Catholic Church’s opposition to IVF is well known. It’s based on the principle that IVF separates intercourse from procreation. In some ways it’s like contraception, only in reverse. It’s also very costly in terms of human life…
St John Paul II, Pope of the family
This last weekend was historic. It has been described as the day of 4 Popes. Pope Francis canonised two of his predecessors, Pope John XXIII and John Paul II, while Pope emeritus Benedict XVI was present.For us in the pro-life…
Frozen with an expiry date
November 22nd this year will be a bad day to be an embryonic New Zealander in vitro.That’s the first deadline of the 2004 HART (Human Assisted Reproductive Technology) act. All embryos in New Zealand that have been frozen for 10…
Did you exist before your mother was pregnant?
Is it possible for someone to exist before their mother was even pregnant? Sounds like I’m are talking about IVF, but I’m are actually talking about normal, natural pregnancy. If your local contraceptive promoter is correct, then you existed before…
Does the morning after pill cause abortions?
There is a lot of misleading information about the “morning after pill” or “emergency contraception”.Much of this misleading information about the “morning after pill or “emergency contraception” has statements like “Won’t cause an abortion if you are already pregnant” or…
NuvaRing – dying for contraception
Last year the ministry of health has approved a 'new' contraceptive device. Although it's new to New Zealand, but has been around in the United States and Europe for more than 10 years, so we already know a lot about…
Condoms and HIV
It is frequently stated that condoms are the solution to the AIDS epidemic. We have had condoms for a long time, and they are plentiful, cheap, and their use is advocated to virtually every school student in the country many…