Losing Our Dignity, Part 1

Charles C. Camosy argues in Losing Our Dignity that modern bioethics has undergone an anthropological collapse by separating human dignity from the nature of the human person. According to Angie Allen of Catholic Exchange, Camosy contends that contemporary society has shifted from defining dignity based on what a person is to defining it based on what a person can do.

Camosy suggests this shift creates a contradiction where public language frequently emphasizes human rights, equality, and inclusion, yet fails to protect vulnerable groups. He identifies the unborn, embryos in laboratories, infants with severe disabilities, elderly patients with advanced dementia, those in persistent vegetative states, and individuals facing assisted suicide as groups that lack consistent protection. He argues that while society claims dignity is universal, it often redefines the requirements for receiving full protection.