Paper/Proposal Title

Universal Truths Encounter the Pragmatism of Modern Medicine: Application of the Principle of Subsidiarity

Presenter/Author Information

David Plevak, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine

Location

River Campus - Room 2080

Start Date

10-4-2013 9:30 AM

Abstract

On November 5, 2009, a medical procedure was performed to end the life of an unborn child. The individual receiving the abortion was a practicing Roman Catholic. She was suffering from severe pulmonary hypertension. The decision to have the abortion occurred in a Catholic Hospital with the counsel of a Roman Catholic Sister. On May 14, 2010, the Roman Catholic Bishop with jurisdiction excommunicated the patient, along with those who were involved with the decision making and surgical termination. This presentation will address the religious, logical, and ethical principles upon which the most basic human right (the right to life) is based, while addressing the medical concerns of a pregnant patient with a life threatening illness (in this case, pulmonary hypertension). The presentation will suggest an approach to a situation, such as the one described, that would not require either the abandonment of universal truth, or the rejection of the life-saving potential of modern medicine. This presentation will offer the principle of subsidiarity as an example of how material evidence can inform the universal, and emphasize how data from an individual patient can assist the application of universal truths in providing guidance in particular circumstances. The scope of an approach utilizing the principle of subsidiarity need not be limited to the application of universal truths in medical practice, but can also be utilized beyond the sphere of medicine as the principles of human rights encounter the material world.

Comments

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Oct 4th, 9:30 AM

Universal Truths Encounter the Pragmatism of Modern Medicine: Application of the Principle of Subsidiarity

River Campus - Room 2080

On November 5, 2009, a medical procedure was performed to end the life of an unborn child. The individual receiving the abortion was a practicing Roman Catholic. She was suffering from severe pulmonary hypertension. The decision to have the abortion occurred in a Catholic Hospital with the counsel of a Roman Catholic Sister. On May 14, 2010, the Roman Catholic Bishop with jurisdiction excommunicated the patient, along with those who were involved with the decision making and surgical termination. This presentation will address the religious, logical, and ethical principles upon which the most basic human right (the right to life) is based, while addressing the medical concerns of a pregnant patient with a life threatening illness (in this case, pulmonary hypertension). The presentation will suggest an approach to a situation, such as the one described, that would not require either the abandonment of universal truth, or the rejection of the life-saving potential of modern medicine. This presentation will offer the principle of subsidiarity as an example of how material evidence can inform the universal, and emphasize how data from an individual patient can assist the application of universal truths in providing guidance in particular circumstances. The scope of an approach utilizing the principle of subsidiarity need not be limited to the application of universal truths in medical practice, but can also be utilized beyond the sphere of medicine as the principles of human rights encounter the material world.