Vital Conflicts Debating Abortion, Gender Treatments, and Claims of Conscience

Vital Conflicts explores three of the most important, controversial, and contemporary issues in bioethics. It grapples with the legal, and the ethical, discussions arising from the Dobbs decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion defined by Roe v. Wade. It argues that all human beings--from the very beginning of their lives to the end--have inherent dignity and deserve to be protected in law, a view that should be accepted by all people of good will.

The suffering caused by gender dysphoria can be debilitating and life threatening. This book explores this issue and offers an ethics of compassionate care that does justice to the vulnerability of those suffering from gender dysphoria. It presents a defense of the teaching of the Catholic Bishops of the United States, England and Wales on gender treatments that are in accordance with faith, but also reasonable.

The book also treats claims of conscience, both conscientious objection and conscientious provision. Is there a contradiction in being in favor of conscientious objection but opposed to conscientious provision? Are objection and provision symmetrical? Kaczor defends conscientious objection in health care but also criticizes the claim that conscientious provision in health care is justified.