© 2001 by Journal of Christian Bioethics Inc
Euthanasia and John Paul II's "Silent Language of Profound Sharing of Affection:" Why Christians Should Care About Peter Singer
University of Wisconsin Green Bay, WI, USA
Correspondence: Derek S. Jeffreys, Ph.D., Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311–7001, U.S.A.
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Abstract |
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Peter Singer's recent appointment to Princeton University created considerable controversy, most of it focused on his proposal for active euthanasia of disabled infants. Singer articulates utilitarian ideas that often appear in public discussions of euthanasia. Drawing on Pope John Paul II's work on ethics and suffering, I argue that Singer's utilitarian theory of value is impoverished. After introducing the Pope's ethic based on the imago dei, I discuss love as self-gift. I show how this concept supports a theory of value in which spiritual goods are preeminent over material goods. I then describe how suffering reveals spiritual goods, discussing how participation in Christ's suffering can alter our perception of value. I also consider how communal responses to suffering provide opportunities for self-giving. Third, I consider Singer's proposal for killing infants with hemophilia, arguing that it arbitrarily ignores spiritual goods. I then discuss proposals to kill anencephalic infants, discussing how parental response to their suffering can demonstrate an extraordinary love in seemingly hopeless circumstances. I conclude by calling for a more sustained social response to euthanasia initiatives.