Joseph Fletcher Would Be Proud

Fifty-five years ago, Joseph Fletcher, father of “Situational Ethics” wrote, “[W]e shall attempt, as reasonably as may be, to plead the ethical case for our human rights (certain conditions being satisfied) to use contraceptives, to seek insemination anonymously from a donor, to be sterilized, and to receive a merciful death from a medically competent euthanasiast.” Morals and Medicine, (Boston: Beacon Press, 1954), p. 25. Today, 9 April 2009, is the final day for the public to make comments regarding the right of conscience protections for health care workers put in place by the federal government late last year. Bioethics.com