ARTICLE  5

You shall not kill.⁵⁴  (See added endnote, page 2, on meaning of word kill)
. . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . (Emphasis added. Content of italic brackets [ ] added)

_____ You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and  _____ whoever kills shall be liable to judgment." But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.⁵⁵

NOTE: Three & four digit numbers in italics refer to parallel passages in Catechism.

356  2258  "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."⁵⁶


1. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE

The witness of sacred history

401  2259  In the account of Abel's murder by his brother Cain,⁵⁷ Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history. Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the wickedness of this fratricide: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."⁵⁸

2260  The covenant between God and mankind is interwoven with reminders of God's gift of human life and man's murderous violence:

_____ For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning. . . . Whoever sheds the  _____ blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.⁵⁹

_____  The Old Testament always considered blood a sacred sign of life.⁶⁰ This teaching remains necessary for all time.

1756  2261  Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous."⁶¹ The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere. 1956

2262  In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill,"⁶² and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies.⁶³ He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath.^{64 2844 [Jesus had a unique mission which was not to be interfered with for any reason.  This passage only establishes that one need not defend himself or allow another to defend him.  It has nothing to do with allowable justifiable defense or action.  Jesus remonstrated with Peter because he had not yet understood the mission assigned by the Father.  Also, in Luke 22:36 Jesus said, "one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.  Two verses later in response to the statement, "Lord, look, there are two swords here." Jesus replied, "It is enough!"  This is a clear statement that one should be armed for purposes of self-defense and for defending the innocent.]}


Legitimate defense

2263  The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor. . . . The one is intended, the other is not."⁶5 1737

2264  Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. 2196  Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow: [this also applies to defending any innocent person from unjust aggression.]

____ If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful:
___ whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is
___ it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to
___ avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own
___ life than of another's.^{66 [than the life of an unjust aggressor's]}

2265  Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the family or of the state. 2240

2266  Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For this reason the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty. 1897-1898  For analogous reasons those holding authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the community in their charge. 2308

___ The primary effect of punishment is to redress the disorder caused by the offense. When his punishment is voluntarily accepted by the offender, it takes on the value of expiation. 1449  Moreover, punishment has the effect of preserving public order and the safety of persons. Finally punishment has a medicinal value; as far as possible it should contribute to the correction of the offender.⁶⁷

2306  2267  If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means [this statement is clearly in opposition to Gn. 9:6 and the tradition of the Church], because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good [God has clearly stated that the common good is best served by civil law executing murderers] and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. [The dignity of each innocent murdered person has been forever lost to this world.]


Intentional homicide

2268  The fifth commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. [The 5th commandment only forbids the intentional killing of innocent people.  Just government is required to use lethal force when necessary and to execute those guilty of capital crime.]  The murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for  vengeance.^{68 1867}

___  Infanticide,⁶⁹ fratricide, parricide, and the murder of a spouse are especially grave crimes by reason of the natural bonds which they break. Concern for eugenics or public health cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority.

2269  The fifth commandment forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly bringing about a person's death [One may not participate, plan or cause an innocent person's death]. The moral law prohibits exposing someone [including exposing unborn people to an abortion process] to mortal danger without grave reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger.

___  The acceptance by human society of murderous famines, without efforts to remedy them, is a scandalous injustice and a grave offense. Those whose usurious and avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human family indirectly commit homicide, which is imputable to them.^{70 [This statement should also apply to those who omit instruction or example that would save countless unborn lives.]}

___ Unintentional killing is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave offense if, without proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about someone's death, even without the intention to do so. 2290  [Their is no proportionate reason for effectively ignoring the deaths of over one billion unborn people.]


Abortion

2270  Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person -- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.^{71 1703 357}

_____ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born
_____ I consecrated you.⁷²

_____ My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
_____ intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.⁷³

2271  Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

_____ You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn
_____ to perish.⁷⁴

_____ God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding
_____ life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must
_____ be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion
_____ and infanticide are abominable crimes.⁷⁵

2272  Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,"⁷⁶ [automatic excommunication] "by the very commission of the offense,"⁷⁷ and subject to the 1463 conditions provided by Canon Law.⁷⁸ The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

1930 2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

___  "The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death."⁷⁹

___  "The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined. . . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights."

2274  Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

___ Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual. . . . It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence."⁸¹

2275  "One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival."⁸²

___  "It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material."⁸³

___  "Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity"⁸⁴ which are unique and unrepeatable.


Euthanasia

2276  Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect.  Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible. 1503

2277  Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.

___  Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.

2278  Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of "over-zealous" treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected. 1007

2279  Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged.


Suicide

2280  Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. 2258 We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281  Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it  unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God. 2212

2282  If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law. Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide. 1735 [When one caters to the weaknesses of others, they are pandering.]

2283  We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.1037 [At best it would seem that such prayers would be conditional.  No perspective of salvation following intentional suicide should be presented.  To give any degree of creditability to suicide would be morally wrong and could lead many to Hell.]


II. RESPECT FOR THE DIGNITY OF PERSONS

Respect for the souls of others: scandal

2847 2284  Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

1903 2285  Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."⁸⁵ Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing⁸⁶

2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.

___  Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to "social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible."⁸⁷ 1887  This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger,⁸⁸ or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values. 2498

2287  Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!"⁸⁹


Respect for health

2288  Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. 1503 We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

___  Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: 1509 food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.

2289  If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. 364 It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for it's sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships. 2113

2290  The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of  excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. 1809  Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

2291  The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.


Respect for the person and scientific research

2292  Scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups can contribute to healing the sick and the advancement of public health.

2293  Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of man's dominion over creation. 159  Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits. 1703

2294  It is an illusion to claim moral neutrality in scientific research and its applications. On the other hand, guiding principles cannot be inferred from simple technical efficiency, or from the usefulness accruing to some at the expense of others or, even worse, from prevailing ideologies. Science and technology by their very nature require unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. 2375 They must be at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with the plan and the will of God.

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