Cowdin Daniel M, Tuohey John F
Christ Bioeth. 1998 Apr;4(1):14-44. doi: 10.1076/chbi.4.1.14.6911.
Disagreement over the legitimacy of direct sterilization continues within Catholic moral debate, with painful and at times confusing ramifications for Catholic healthcare systems. This paper argues that the medical profession should be construed as a key moral authority in this debate, on two grounds. First, the recent revival of neo-Aristotelianism in moral philosophy as applied to medical ethics has brought out the inherently moral dimensions of the history and current practice of medicine. Second, this recognition can be linked to Catholic morality through Vatican II's affirmation of the legitimate autonomy of culture, including the sciences. A partial precedent for understanding the moral authority of medicine can be found in the recent history of Catholic medical morality, and we further argue that a full contemporary recognition of that authority would weigh against an absolute prohibition of direct sterilizations. Institutionally, we propose the allowance of direct sterilizations in cases where the clinically perceived biomedical good of the patient is at stake.
在天主教道德辩论中，对于直接绝育的合法性仍存在分歧，这给天主教医疗系统带来了痛苦且有时令人困惑的影响。本文基于两个理由论证，医学专业应被视为这场辩论中的关键道德权威。其一，道德哲学中新亚里士多德主义在医学伦理学中的近期复兴，揭示了医学历史和当前实践中固有的道德层面。其二，通过梵蒂冈二世对包括科学在内的文化合法自主性的肯定，这种认知可与天主教道德相联系。在天主教医学道德的近期历史中可以找到理解医学道德权威的部分先例，我们进一步论证，当代对该权威的充分认可将不利于对直接绝育的绝对禁止。在制度层面，我们提议在患者临床上可感知的生物医学利益受到威胁的情况下允许直接绝育。
