How parishes can help infertile couples

By Patrick T. Reardon| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church Life Culture
These are just some of the ways that the parish can be a resource to couples experiencing infertility.

• Raise the issue of infertility at the pre-Cana marriage preparation meetings. It would alert couples to the reality that conceiving a baby isn’t always easy, while providing an opportunity to walk through the do’s and don’ts of church teaching.

• Establish a diocesan network of support for infertile couples, regardless of what treatment choices they have made or are considering.

Patrick T. Reardon is the urban affairs writer for the Chicago Tribune.

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Hard to conceive: Sometimes getting pregnant isn't easy--or possible

By Patrick T. Reardon| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church Life Culture
Alternatives such as those offered by Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha don’t work for every couple.

And in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not an easy step to take for those struggling with infertility, both because of moral and monetary concerns. Still, the desire for children, which many attribute to God, outweighs everything for couples such as the Mahons.

Patrick T. Reardon is the urban affairs writer for the Chicago Tribune.

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Wrongful death

By A U.S. Catholic interview| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article
"Honorable people have disagreed about the justice of executing the guilty," Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J. writes in her new book The Death of Innocents (Random House, 2005), "but can anyone argue about the justice of executing the innocent?"

Twelve years after her first book, Dead Man Walking (Random), became a surprise bestseller and 10 years after the release of the award-winning movie based on that book, Prejean has written a sequel that once again turns the spotlight on the practice of capital punishment in the United States.

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A perfect joy: A child with Down's syndrome

By Patrice Tuohy| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Culture
Are our ethics keeping pace with the current genetic revolution?

Fifty years ago, when geneticist James Watson and physicist Francis Crick uncovered the structure of DNA, they proudly declared, “We have found the secret of life.” Thus began the race to map the genetic code that determines who we are, what we look like, how long we’ll live, and what’s in store for our children and grandchildren. As that mapping is virtually completed today, we find ourselves in the discomfiting and morally perilous position of having our ethics outpaced by our research.

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A perfect joy: A child with Down's syndrome

By Patrice Tuohy| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Culture
Are our ethics keeping pace with the current genetic revolution?

Fifty years ago, when geneticist James Watson and physicist Francis Crick uncovered the structure of DNA, they proudly declared, “We have found the secret of life.” Thus began the race to map the genetic code that determines who we are, what we look like, how long we’ll live, and what’s in store for our children and grandchildren. As that mapping is virtually completed today, we find ourselves in the discomfiting and morally perilous position of having our ethics outpaced by our research.

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Do I need an advance directive?

By A U.S. Catholic interview| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Culture
Daniel Sulmasy discusses preparing your family for how to respond to a health crisis when you can't.

What kind of advance directives do you recommend?

I strongly recommend a health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care. A living will may be OK if you don't have anybody else to speak for you or have very specific wishes.

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Internal medicine: End of life ethics with Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, O.F.M.

By A U.S. Catholic interview| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Life Culture
The debate about death with dignity needs the wisdom of the Catholic spiritual tradition, says this physician and bioethicist.
See more posts by A U.S. Catholic interview

Do I need an advance directive?

By A U.S. Catholic interview| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Culture
Daniel Sulmasy discusses preparing your family for how to respond to a health crisis when you can't.

What kind of advance directives do you recommend?

I strongly recommend a health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care. A living will may be OK if you don't have anybody else to speak for you or have very specific wishes.

See more posts by A U.S. Catholic interview

Internal medicine: End of life ethics with Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, O.F.M.

By A U.S. Catholic interview| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Life Culture
The debate about death with dignity needs the wisdom of the Catholic spiritual tradition, says this physician and bioethicist.
See more posts by A U.S. Catholic interview

Pastoral discretion advised: Is excommunication the best response?

By Bryan Cones| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Church Culture
Law must always be tempered by mercy if justice is to be truly served.

Excommunication was once considered a passé feature of the ancient church, conjuring up images of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV walking barefoot in the snow in 1077 to Canossa to seek the mercy of Pope Gregory VII. Or perhaps one thinks of the memorable scene from Becket, when Richard Burton's Archbishop Thomas, with no lack of ceremony, turns his authority against Peter O'Toole's King Henry II.

Bryan Cones is a writer living in Boston. See more posts by Bryan Cones

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