Displaying items by tag: ethics

The late Frank Devine once said, during the debate over saying "sorry", that the Aborigines should just forgive us.  In the age of the politicisation of everything, of group rights, of cancel culture and of the rejection of Christian forgiveness in public life, Frank's implied hope is forlorn.  We are unforgiven, even when we have done nothing wrong, and they are a-coming for us.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are racing to provide a vaccine to prevent further spread of the disease. Unfortunately, Moderna, the company that has been recently touted in news headlines for its developing mRNA-1273 vaccine to fight the virus, uses aborted fetal cell cells.

Catholic News Agency recently published an article which is full of errors regarding the part abortion plays in the production of vaccines. This response seeks to clarify those misunderstandings and misrepresentations.

I have often sought to make the case for concerns about surrogacy. It is problematic on so many levels. Like the other Assisted Reproductive Technologies, our scientific and technological abilities to do things are outstripping and outpacing our moral reflection on them. And in the process, plenty of harm is being done.

I have a friend who has worked assiduously for many years to expose the dangers of pursuing a harm minimisation approach in regard to illicit drugs. I am sure he has been greatly motivated by the experience of losing a son to this evil.

Imagine my surprise when reading the latest issue of The Economist magazine to see that the concept of harm minimisation has been applied by that journal to the subject of female genital mutilation (FGM). If you don’t believe me, click here:

In a Leader article they argue “It is therefore time to consider a new approach. Instead of trying to stamp FGM out entirely, governments should ban the worst forms, permit those that cause no lasting harm and try to persuade parents to choose the least nasty version, or none at all.”