Regarding the “foetus as a patient” – a call from Pope Francis to protect life

Publié le 25 May, 2016

A conference entitled, “Defending life: the perinatal hospice as a scientific, ethical and human response to prenatal diagnostics” was organised on Wednesday, 25 May by the Italian Hospital, Policlinico Gemelli. The “perinatal hospice” is a new unit to this hospital. It is dedicated to foetal medicine, palliative care before birth and monitoring the foetus as a patient, even under the most extreme pathological conditions”.

On this occasion, Pope Francis invited participants to “strive daily to implement God’s plan for life, protecting it with courage and love”, “rejecting the throwaway culture that proposes only paths to death, thinking that suffering can be eliminated by suppressing those who suffer”, and to refer “to perennial human and Christian values” promoting “a concept of science that ‘serves’ and ‘does not select’”.

Monsignor Claudio Giuluiordi, with reference to the aims and challenges facing science today, warned of the fact that that “we are witnessing the gradual disappearance of the value and meaning of life as evidenced by the emergence of domination or private control over ethical criteria and justice”.

Zenit (25/05/2016)

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