The Personalistic Basis of the Teaching of the Magisterium Regarding Persons With Pathologies „Incompatible With Life”

Abstract

The wave of protests following the decision of the Polish Constitutional Court of October 22, 2020 about the unconstitutionality of the embryopathic indication for abortion can be seen as a challenge for the Catholic Church to clarify its pro-life doctrine with regard to the protection of the weakest and to raise it anew. A support for this is the letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Samaritanus bonus of July 14, 2020. The present article takes up the said doctrinal teaching in order to synthesize and justify the moral view represented in this teaching relating to abortion, especially in the case of pathologies “incompatible with life”. The guiding principle is the personalistic view of human being, according to which the person should be at the center of all ethical decisions. From the consideration of the individual aspects of the question raised, certain ethical imperatives follow, which are considered in the conclusions.