Introduction Children: Hope in Dependency with Dignity

Abstract

We joyfully present this special issue of The Linacre Quarterly to our readers, an issue devoted entirely to medical, ethical, and spiritual issues in the field of pediatrics. Children are a particularly vulnerable population principally because of their inherent dependency on others. They are growing in their physical, emotional, psychological, cognitive, and spiritual capacities, while still retaining the ineffable and immutable dignity with which they were created from the very moment of their conception. A reflection on the nature of the child tells us much about the nature of the human person. As Pope St. John Paul II was fond of pointing out, part of the beauty of being human is the interdependency or integration of one with another. Hence, children in a special way, remind us that dependency, vulnerability, and our growth as a result are elements of the human condition not to be eschewed but to be embraced. This notion—that one can be dependent on another and yet still be sacred and inviolable—is almost a revolutionary concept in the twenty-first century. How disheartening that this should be so! And yet, assaults on the lives and dignity of children, the very ones of whom our Lord said, “for to such belongs the Kingdom of God” (Mt 10:14) are spreading at an alarming rate. The issue begins with an impassioned editorial by Dr. Bill Williams and Dr. Peter Colosi, calling for a new Bill of Rights for Children, and in doing so, outlining the manifold challenges facing children today. Many groups in our society have been demanding their rights, but few have thought of advancing the rights of children. A just society should give the rights of these weaker members precedence over the rights of those who control the political power. The precepts put forth in this editorial are proposed as a starting point to begin a discussion on drafting a Bill of Rights for Children. Dr. Jay Bringman leads off the discussion in the field of perinatal ethics: should a Catholic healthcare provider, without certainty of a pregnant patient’s plans, be willing to perform invasive prenatal testing when a genetic abnormality might risk a termination of the fetus? Dr. Bringman traces the history of prenatal testing, including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s recommendation The Linacre Quarterly 81 (4) 2014, 295–297