Name______ Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching

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Name______Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching

Directed Reading Worksheet

Date______Chapter 3: Life and Dignity of the Human Person

Directions: Read through the chapter and fill in the missing information. All the questions run sequential to the chapter. If a true/false statement is false, correct it.

Introduction: The Human Person (Pages 69–72)

1.  True or False? It is only when you understand the inherent dignity of all human life that you can really appreciate the right to life itself.

2.  What gives each person inherent dignity and worthy of receiving profound respect?

3.  A person with dignity is not to be “______” but rather is to be given the ______, respect, and love he or she is due. This principle is called the ______and is affirmed in the ______of Jesus. It seeks to affirm the unique value of each person in the world of ______.

4.  What is at the origin of every human attack?

5.  What is the ultimate purpose of society? What is not the ultimate purpose of society?

6.  True or False? Applying the personalistic norm to Catholic social teaching means being more driven by “issues” then by the people effected by issues.

7.  True or False? Because every man and woman is made in God’s image and likeness and called to happiness in Him, every person is equal in dignity.

8.  What does it mean to say that dignity is inviolable?

9.  What are the prohibitions and demands of the fifth commandment?

Section 1: Abortion (Pages 73–82)

10. Explain the difference between abortion and direct abortion.

11. Human life begins from the time the ovum is ______and genetic studies have revealed that a new ______has begun the process of growth at the moment of ______. The Declaration on Procured Abortion states, “Any ______based on the various stages of life is no more ______than any other discrimination.”

12. True or False? Until 1965, no US states had laws banning abortion.

13. The landmark Supreme Court decision ______declared that a woman’s right to ______includes her decision to have an abortion. Abortion is still ______in the United States with specific laws varying by ______, but abortion policies in the US are among the most ______of any industrialized nation of the ______.

14. What are two major factors that have led to the disrespect for human life?

(a)

(b)

15. True or False? Contemporary society has undermined the family by changing traditional views on marriage and divorce.

16. Briefly explain the acronym SLED.

17. What does unchecked personal freedom lead to?

18. What is the role of government? What is a tenet of democracy?

19. Explain the Church’s reasoning in opposing abortion even in cases of rape?

20. True or False? Removing all or part of the fallopian tube of a woman experiencing an ectopic pregnancy—even though the baby will surely die—is morally permissible because it is a natural consequence of a procedure to save the mother’s life and not the intention of the procedure.

21. True or False? The principle of double effect recognizes that in some situations a bad action may have two effects: one intended and good and the other unintended and bad.

22. What are the three questions that must be asked to determine whether the unintended bad effect that results from the principle of double effect is morally tolerable?

(a)

(b)

(c)

23. There are ______that support the unborn child’s ______to live and the Church works to ensure that such alternatives are available. Women can find ______, emotional, and spiritual support as well as access to ______. The Church offers ______and care to women and ______who have experienced the loss of a child through ______.

24. True or False? While not condemning the serious sin of abortion, the Church does condemn or judge the woman or man who has participated in it.

Section 2: Other Beginning of Life Issues (Pages 83–87)

25. True or False? The Church opposes stem cell research.

26. Which type of stem cell research is opposed by the Church?

27. True or False? A clear principle of Catholic morality is that an evil end or purpose does not justify a good means to that end.

28. True or False? No cures have yet been attributed to embryonic stem cells; in contrast, more than seventy-three cures are attributed to adult stem cells.

29. True or False? Although research to help cure diseases has the good intention of relieving human suffering, even the best intentions cannot justify intrinsically immoral means to achieve these ends.

30. What does the US Conference of Catholic Bishops warn about cloning?

31. The intent of ______is to create human beings with a particular ______imposing upon them a certain biological ______. Such a perspective introduces a certain moral ______as to what constitutes a “______” human being and could lead to the notion that those who do not possess these particular qualities are ______.

32. What is at the core of reproductive cloning?

Section 3: End of Life Concerns (Pages 89–94)

33. Explain the difference between euthanasia and physician-assisted-suicide.

34. What are three reasons for the growing shift toward acceptance and legalization of euthanasia?

(a)

(b)

(c)

35. True or False? Some who promote a “right to die” mentality believe that the terminally ill or elderly threaten the economic well-being of other members of society.

36. Every human person has ______dignity; therefore, every person’s life is worth living and ______. There is no “______” of dignity that depends on one’s ______or physical state. Modern values emphasize what one contributes to ______, focusing on what someone ______rather than who someone ______.

37. No one is morally obligated to use every ______means available to ______one’s life. It is morally permissible to refuse ______medical treatment—that which attempts to do more than keep the patient ______and cared for in a ______manner. However, a person must always accept ______medical treatment—standard medical care as well as ______and water.

38. How did St. John Paul II explain what is and is not true compassion?

39. Why is capital punishment different from abortion and euthanasia?

40. The CCC explains these four aspects of ______: Love of your own ______is an important tenet of morality. “______” means a person who is not intending you ______at a particular moment. It is a moral ______to protect one’s own life or the ______of another. Taking the life of another is only a ______.

41. True or False? To protect the common good, legitimate public authority has no right to impose punishment in due proportion to the seriousness of the offense.

42. True or False? If the death penalty is the only way to stop an unjust aggressor and protect citizens’ lives, legitimate authority has the prerogative to impose the death penalty.

43. What are the three traditional reasons for punishing someone?

44. What do the US Catholic Bishops say about the necessity of capital punishment?

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