Bioethics and Healthcare Ethics (DT3060C)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit explores the foundations and development of bioethics from classical medicine to contemporary healthcare. It examines key principles such as human dignity, the sanctity of life, informed consent, and moral responsibility. Topics covered include abortion, euthanasia, the withholding of treatment, HIV/AIDS, rape, the anencephalic foetus, transplants of donated organs, human research, the allocation of scarce resources, triage and other issues raised by the environment, and modern medical technology: prenatal diagnosis, treatments for infertility, reproductive technology and embryonic stem cell research. Drawing on Scripture, Catholic teaching, and philosophical ethics, students analyse real-life cases and evaluate competing ethical frameworks shaping modern healthcare practice.

Unit code: DT3060C

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Moral Theology

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explain the foundations of Catholic bioethics as grounded in Scripture, the Christian tradition, the Magisterium, and philosophical reasoning concerning the dignity of the human person.
2.

Apply key ethical principles in healthcare—such as the sanctity of life, informed consent, and the duty of care—in light of both Catholic and secular bioethical frameworks.
3.

Critically analyse arguments concerning the moral status and inviolability of human life from conception to natural death, including debates surrounding euthanasia and voluntary assisted dying.
4.

Apply Catholic ethical reasoning to complex clinical cases, including reproductive technologies, end-of-life care, and the allocation of scarce medical resources.

Unit sequence

36 pts across BS and CT, or equivalent.

Pedagogy

Lectures, tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Ashley, Benedict M., Jean de Blois, and Kevin D. O’Rourke. Health Care Ethics: A Theological Analysis. 5th ed. Georgetown University Press, 2006.
  • Beauchamp, Tom L., and James F. Childress. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 8th ed. Oxford University Press, 2019.
  • Catholic Health Australia. Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia. 2nd ed. Catholic Health Australia, 2016.
  • Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Dignitas Infinita: Declaration on Human Dignity. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2024.
  • Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Samaritanus Bonus: On the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2020.
  • Fisher, Anthony. Catholic Bioethics for a New Millennium. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
  • Lysaught, M. Therese, and Joseph J. Kotva Jr., eds. On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics. 3rd ed. Eerdmans, 2012.
  • Pontifical Academy for Life. Rome Call for AI Ethics. Pontifical Academy for Life, 2020.
  • Shannon, Thomas and Nicholas Kochler. An Introduction to Bioethics. 4th ed. Paulist Press, 2009.
  • Steinbock, Bonnie, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Bioethics. Oxford University Press, 2007.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Seminar or Tutorial

10 minute seminar presentation + 5 minute oral defence

 1000 20.0
Critical Review

3000-word critical review of a contemporary bioethics article from a Catholic perspective.

 3000 50.0
Oral Examination

Oral exam involves short answer questions and some case scenarios.

 1000 30.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 25 Jun, 2026

Unit record last updated: 2026-07-09 12:27:17 +1000