Losing Our Dignity, Part 2

Charles C. Camosy argues that the secularization of bioethics since the 1960s has replaced Catholic moral theology with a different moral framework. According to Camosy, this shift occurred as medical ethics attempted to move beyond religious assumptions to become neutral and accessible within a pluralistic society.

Camosy suggests that while the goal was to create a language for public discussion in hospitals and universities, the resulting secular bioethics is not truly neutral. He notes that when human dignity is tied to autonomy, consciousness, or functional capacity rather than the human person, the unborn, the disabled, the unconscious, the dependent, and the dying lose full protection.