Over the last fifty years, it has become customary to frame moral questions surrounding medicine and the treatment of all forms of life under the rubric of "bioethics". The rapid development of modern technology opens new possibilities and, with them, a whole range of difficult moral issues. At the same time,  many in today's increasingly secularized society question or reject traditional Christian teachings on the sanctity of human life. Indeed, Catholics find themselves defending the gospel of life in an often hostile environment. Frequently accused of attempting to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of society, they must also show that the Church's moral teaching on bioethical issues is a matter of right reason and not just Revelation.

In this episode Fr. Michael Baggot LC presents some of the best books for studying and understanding Catholic bioethics.

1. Biomedicine and Beatitude: An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics, Second Edition by Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco
2. Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life by William E. May
3. Catholic Bioethics for a New Millennium by Bishop Anthony Fisher
4. Personalist Bioethics: Foundations and Applications by Elio Sgreccia
5. The Gospe of Life (Evangelium Vitae) by John Paul II

Fr. Michael Baggot, PhD is currently Assistant Professor of Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He is also Research Scholar at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights in Rome, Italy. He was Adjunct Professor of Theology at the Christendom College Rome program from 2018-2022. His writings have appeared in First Things, Studia Bioethica, The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, and Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. He is editor of and contributor to the book Enhancement Fit for Humanity: Perspectives on Emerging Technologies (Routledge, 2022).

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