Steubenville, Ohio, Jan 20, 2010 / 22:08 pm
Franciscan University's Institute of Bioethics is hosting a conference in March for health professionals and will address the topic of “Ethical Issues on Suffering and Death.”
“Death and suffering are the two topics that most often confront health care professionals and ethics committees in hospitals,” explained Dr. Patrick Lee, director of the Institute. “When do we withdraw life-sustaining treatment? Why does our society view suffering as the problem to be treated, rather than the mere symptom of a deeper problem?”
The upcoming conference has a particular relevance given the current health care reform effort and comes at a time when right to life issues are at the forefront of legislative debate.
“What's at stake in the current cultural debates about abortion and euthanasia,” Dr. Lee continued, “is whether we as as society are going to recognize the equal and inherent dignity of all human beings or not.”