Medical Ethics & Natural Law: Does Natural Law Impede on Medicine?

Natural Law and Medical Ethics in the Eighteenth Century

The Codification of Medical Morality - Philosophy and Medicine ◽

10.1007/978-94-015-8228-5_6 ◽

1993 ◽

pp. 123-139

Author(s):

Johanna Geyer-Kordesch

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

Medical Ethics ◽

Natural Law

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Relating Hippocratic and Christian Medical Ethics

Christian bioethics Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality ◽

10.1093/cb/cbz017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 81-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tom A Cavanaugh

Keyword(s):

Medical Ethics ◽

Natural Law ◽

Medical Ethic ◽

Good Samaritan

Abstract This article articulates the Hippocratic medical ethic found in the Oath and the Christian medical ethic as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. It proposes that the Oath has a natural-law-based deontological character (as understood by Aquinas) that governs friendships of utility (as understood by Aristotle) between student and teacher and physician and patient. The article elaborates on the Samaritan’s conduct as exemplifying Christian agapeic-love. It contrasts agapeic-love with friendship-love, while noting that the Samaritan relies on friendship-love (as found between the Samaritan and the innkeeper) to realize agapeic-love towards the robbers’ victim. It concludes with noting that the grace-based Christian medical ethic perfects the nature-based Hippocratic ethic not by destroying it, but, rather, by employing it.

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