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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Defining the Terms of the Debate: Euthanasia and Euphemism
ABN Papers
February 11, 2026
Summary The debate concerning whether to legalise voluntary euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is complicated by a variety of different terms, often developed euphemisms, for the realities under discussion. This leads to confusion, and requires clarification. Euthanasia is the ending of a patient’s life by their physician, but important distinctions remain between whether this voluntary, involuntary,
Evidence of Harm: Assessing the Impact of Assisted Dying / Assisted Suicide on Palliative Care
ABN Papers
February 11, 2026
Executive Summary i. The aim of this paper is to examine critically the evidence given in support of the conclusion in the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee 2024 Report on Assisted Dying / Assisted Suicide [AD / AS] that they ‘did not see any indications of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating in quality
Resource Allocation and Ventilators: A Statement of Catholic Principles
ABN Papers
February 11, 2026
Introduction What does the Catholic tradition say about the allocation of healthcare resources during a pandemic? More specifically, in the context of the current pandemic, what does the Catholic tradition have to say about the provision of ventilation for patients with COVID-19? The governing principle of medical ethics, as understood within the Catholic tradition, is
Wrong Side of the World: The Misplaced Reliance on Australia in the UK Debate on ‘Assisted Dying’
ABN Papers
February 11, 2026
Executive Summary Parliamentary Committees in Scotland and in England have been considering Bills that would legalise ‘assisted dying’ (meaning physician-assisted suicide). One striking feature of the conduct of these Committees is the heavily skewed evidence both have taken from pro-assisted suicide witnesses from Australia. This is problematic for a number of reasons: There is clear
Care Homes and Older Members of the Community
ABN Papers
February 11, 2026
Introduction What does the Catholic tradition say about caring for older members of the community? [1] Do we have a special responsibility to provide for the needs of older people during a pandemic? It is now increasingly clear that many of the deaths in the current COVID-19 crisis have occurred in aged care facilities. [2] Aged care homes around
Eight Reasons Why We Must Not Legalise ‘Assisted Dying’
ABN Papers
February 9, 2026
1) It overturns a fundamental principle of law and medicine ‘Assisted dying’ [1] is the intentional ending of the life of a patient by a doctor (‘euthanasia’) or a patient ending their own life with a lethal drug supplied by a doctor for this purpose (‘assisted suicide’). These practices violate the prohibition of intentional killing, which is
The Principle of Autonomy – Does it Support the Legalisation of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide?
ABN Papers
February 5, 2026
Summary The principle of autonomy is often invoked in support of the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide. How one defines ‘autonomy’, however, is a matter of dispute. A number of important considerations arise as a result of this dispute, and it is important to ensure that ‘autonomy’ is defined in a way that works
Disability and the Human Condition. Changing the Social Determinants of Disabilites and Building a New Culture of Inclusion
Other Resources
October 1, 2025
This volume comprises the proceedings of the 2024 Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences: Disability and the Human Condition. The proceedings include sections on: · Lives Worth Living: Operationalizing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities · Disability, Poverty and Inequalities: What New Policies for Economic Inclusion? · Philosophical, Ethical and Theological Perspectives
Assisting Suicide: An Ever More Dangerous Bill
Other Resources
September 5, 2025
This paper published by Politeia in September 2025 examines the initial progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through the House of Commons from September 2024 to June 2025 and the shape of the Bill as it entered the House of Lords. It shows how the scrutiny process in the Commons was
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the 24th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Magisterial Documents
April 11, 2024
Description This was an address to a conference with the title: ‘Disability and the Human Condition. Changing the Social Determinants of Disabilities and Building a New Culture of Inclusion’. The Pope, advocates ‘listening to the voices of men and women with disabilities’ to understand how the lives of persons with disabilities are conditioned ‘not only
‘Declaration Dignitas Infinita on Human Dignity’ (2 April 2024)
Magisterial Documents
April 2, 2024
Description It is possible to make a fourfold distinction of the concept of dignity: ontological dignity, moral dignity, social dignity, and existential dignity. The most important among these is the ontological dignity that belongs to the person as such simply because he or she exists and is willed, created, and loved by God.[7] Biblical Revelation
Answers to Several Questions from His Excellency, the Most Reverend José Negri, Bishop of Santo Amaro, Brazil, Regarding Participation in the Sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony by Transgender Persons and Homosexual Persons
Magisterial Documents
October 31, 2023
Description This document is a response of the Dicastery to the following questions: Can a transgender person be baptized?; Can a transgender person serve as a godparent?; Can a transgender person serve as a witness to a matrimony?; Can two homosexual persons be regarded as the parents of a child who is to be baptized,