가톨릭과 생명의료윤리교육

The Christian tradition, rooted in both the Old and the New Testament and exemplified in the story of the Good Samaritan, has always encouraged the care for the sick.

This tradition is closely connected with the historical development of medical ethics in the Roman Catholic Church.

In the nineteenth century, the discipline called pastoral medicine fully bloomed and the newer developments in biological and medical science encouraged the growth of medical ethics.

Catholic Church has been trying to help the Catholic health care professionals increase their understanding of Catholic ethical principles so that it parallels their professional knowledge and acumen.

This article reviews three major efforts of the church to help the health professionals for their ethical reasoning.

First, since the famous statements of the Second Vatican Council in early 1960s, many church’s teaching on biomedical ethics have been published as church documents and recommended to be followed by the Catholic health professionals.

Second, various Catholic health organizations and professional associations also have published ethical codes and directives for their members and member organizations.

Third, medical and nursing ethics have been included in the curriculum of most Catholic medical and nursing colleges.