In the statement, HLI President, Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, expresses optimism that the bioethics training will enable pro-life and family leaders to articulate the Catholic church’s understanding of the inherent dignity of the human person, which he describes as “the objective basis for the church’s moral tradition in the service of the human person and of his or her flourishing.”
“It will enable (HLI) leaders to develop effective and wide-ranging pro-life and family programs, help them to identify resources for the resolution of bioethical issues, and prepare leaders to train, assist and mentor other leaders,” Fr. Boquet is quoted as saying.
He adds, “A solid education in the church’s bioethical teaching and a firm understanding of the underlying worldviews affecting human persons will enable these leaders to better advance the culture of life and identify entities, like the United Nations and the Gates Foundation, which advocate for the culture of death, having no regard for the inalienable dignity of human life.”
Fr. Boquet describes the training as timely, and an “amour”, which he says will strengthen life and advocacy around the globe.
“This is going to make a huge difference and will energize Human Life International’s life advocacy around the world,” the Catholic Priest says, and adds, “The incursion by western promoters of contraception and abortion and purveyors of the culture of death will now meet stronger, better fortified opponents, who are equipped with a higher level of bioethical understanding.”
Fr. Boquet explains how modern medicine has virtually eliminated avoidable maternal deaths due to pregnancy.
He says that should pregnancy complications arise, doctors who appreciate and respect the value of the lives of both the mother and child will first pursue medical strategies that take into account the life and health of both patients, often with the result that both mother and child safely come through the pregnancy, “to the great joy and satisfaction of everyone involved.”
“I can give countless stories,” says Fr. Boquet “about the positive impact of a proper education in Catholic bioethics. After all, a solid formation in the moral tradition and Catholic identity grounds the Church’s institutions …providing the means to create a society and culture that supports authentic human flourishing.”
He adds that with the certification from the National Catholic Bioethics Center, those he describes as HLI global missionaries would be able to further apply the Catholic moral tradition to challenging contemporary issues in health care, such as contraception, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, assisted suicide, along with end-of-life issues, and organ donation.
In the report March 12 report shared with ACI Africa, the president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, Dr. Joseph Meaney, lauds his organization’s partnership with HLI, saying that the two working together had the potential to educate key Catholic leaders around the world and help them to spread the life-giving message of the dignity of the human person in health care and public policies in many societies.
