Resources
In this section you will find our resources library. Either use the subject categories to navigate or the search and filter system.
Skip to resources searchThe resources provided by this website broadly fall in to three categories.
First there are papers on bioethical topics written or commissioned by members of the network. In some cases these will be papers that have previously been published in other contexts and are republished here with permission and/or are already in the public domain.
Secondly there are links to documents by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (that is, by a Pope or an Ecumenical Council or by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) that are relevant to bioethics. These links will be accompanied by a short description but the description is not to be understood as a commentary or interpretation. It is provided only as an aid to help find material on particular topics.
Finally there are resources that have been produced by other organisations, such as reports or guides. These resources will generally have been published before and may be available on other websites, but are reproduced here for convenience. Where the organisation is operational and/or owns the copyright, these resources will reproduced only with permission.
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Euthanasia Case Studies from Belgium: Concerns About Legislation and Hope for Palliative Care
ABN Papers
June 23, 2026
Summary In examining the ethics of euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS), it is common to focus on presenting arguments which either support or oppose the legalisation of the practice. As EAS is now legal in many countries (and in some cases, has been for many years) however, there is emerging evidence of the effect of
Twenty questions on assisted dying and suicide prevention
ABN Papers
June 23, 2026
Twenty questions on assisted dying and suicide prevention David Albert Jones[i] [i] Professor of Bioethics, St Mary’s University, Twickenham and Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University, but writing here in a personal capacity. This paper has not been through a formal peer review process, though it has benefited from comments from colleagues. It is
Salus Populi Suprema Lex: A Legal Critique of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
ABN Papers
June 22, 2026
Executive Summary The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (‘the Bill’) introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP which is currently being considered by the House of Commons possesses purported safeguards which have been previously proposed and subject to sceptical critique by the Divisional Court of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well
Disability and Assisted Suicide: Elucidating Some Key Concerns
ABN Papers
June 22, 2026
Summary As euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) becomes more common and more permissive, disabled persons grow increasingly concerned about how this will negatively impact them. Long opposed to EAS, disabled persons’ organisations have raised a number of concerns. This paper explores some of the background and context of those concerns and examines a number of
Voluntary Euthanasia & Physician-assisted Suicide: The Two ‘Slippery Slope’ Arguments
ABN Papers
June 18, 2026
Summary The criminal law and professional medical ethics have long held it wrong for physicians intentionally to kill patients who request it (voluntary euthanasia or VE) or to assist them in suicide (physician-assisted suicide or PAS). This is because all patients have lives worth living: whatever their sickness or disability, they share a fundamental dignity
A Human Right to Suicide Prevention: Analysis of ‘The Impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill III’
ABN Papers
June 15, 2026
Executive Summary The Memorandum presents the Government’s view that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, the Memorandum is not a statutory ‘statement of compatibility’. A major flaw in the Memorandum is that it fails to consider suicide prevention. The right to suicide
Ending Life as Cutting Costs: Analysis of ‘The Impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill I’
ABN Papers
June 15, 2026
Executive Summary The Department of Health and Social Care has produced two Impact Assessments and one Memorandum on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This paper concerns the first of these, which focuses on the financial costs and cost reductions of implementing the Bill. The financial IA considers evidence from other jurisdictions but
An Equal Opportunity to Live: Analysis of ‘The Impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill II’
ABN Papers
June 15, 2026
Executive Summary The Department of Health and Social Care, together with the Ministry of Justice, has produced an assessment of the impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on people with protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010. The equality IA claims to take ‘a neutral stance on the
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Briefing
Other Resources
June 1, 2026
Description: This is a briefing from the Complex Life and Death Decisions Group (CLADD) at Kings College, London. The authors have provided detailed analysis of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill from a clinical, legal and ethical perspective. Their analysis relates to the Bill as it was considered by the House of Lords
Gender dysphoria: Some Catholic bioethical reflections
ABN Papers
June 1, 2026
David Albert Jones Gender dysphoria is commonly defined as “a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there’s a mismatch [or incongruence] between their biological sex and gender identity”.[1] Gender identity here refers to a person’s sense that he or she is male or female.[2] Gender incongruence is no longer classified as a
𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢’s Vital Contribution to Current Debates
ABN Papers
May 30, 2026
The Declaration on Human Dignity (Dignitas infinita) was released to seize an opportunity to reaffirm the true meaning of human dignity at a time when many appeal to it, but few can agree on what ‘dignity’ means. The issue is urgent because, as mentioned in Cardinal Fernández’ prologue, human dignity is something ‘we are all
Normalising Surrogacy: A Threat To Human Dignity (Dr Pia Matthews)
ABN Papers
May 30, 2026
Summary Surrogacy fractures parenthood, rupturing the intimate relationship between mother and child, and inherently involves exploitation. It reduces the child to an object whose human rights are put at risk, and the mother whose body is commodified into an instrument, both for the sake of a commercial exchange to fulfil the desire of others. As