Dr. Lysaught reviews Lisa Cahill\u27s book Theological Bioethics: Participation, Justice, and Change.
M. Therese Lysaught was affiliated with the University of Dayton at the time of publication

Lysaught, M. Therese

English

epublications@Marquette

Marquette Universitye-Publications@MarquetteTheology Faculty Research and Publications Theology, Department of1-26-2007A Call to Activism, review of Theological Bioethics, byLisa CahillM. Therese LysaughtMarquette UniversityPublished version. Commonweal, Vol. 134, no. 2 (2007): 33-35. Publisher link. © 2007Commonweal Foundation. Used with permission.M. Therese Lysaught A Call to Activism NEW BOOKS WITH HEART AND SOUL Theological Bioethics Participation, Justice, Change Lisa Sowle Cahill Georgetown University Press, $26.95,310 pp. C hristian engagement ofmoral is- sues in medicine and biotech- nology is nothing new. In the fourth century, Eusebius, chronicler of ecclesiastical history, reported that while pagans fled the plague at Alexandria, Christians went into the city to care for, and even die with, the victims. More re- cently, the United States witnessed the vigil held for Terri Schiavo, a vigil in which Christians and theological claims played a prominent role. Though the Schiavo debacle would seem to fall squarely under the purview of"bioethics," it is not what Lisa Sowle Cahill, the J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology at Boston College, has in mind in her proposal for a "theological bioethics." Cahill is one of the leading Catholic moral theologians in the Unit- ed States, a subtle and flexible thinker whose positions and theoretical frame- work continually evolve. Her current book marks yet another step, calling for an evolution in "theological bioethics" itself, from theory into practice. Cahill argues "that bioethics in the twenty-first century must be in every case social ethics, not just as theory but as engagement." Christian bioethics in particular should work to mobilize efforts for change, es- pecially changes concerning fair and equal access to health care, both nation- ally and globally. After a brief overview of the history of bioethics, Cahill develops her propos- al for what she calls a "participatory the- ological bioethics." What this might look like in practice is then fleshed out in chapters on the end of life; health-care- access reform, both national and inter- national; reproduction and early life; and genetics and biotechnology. The book has significant strengths. The first is its almost encyclopedic nature. Cahill in- cludes extensive background on the var- ious issues he covers, summoning both secular and theological perspectives. She generously incorporates voices from across the theological spectrum. Few are left out.  Cahill focuses her attention on individ- uals and organizations one would not ex- pect to find in a typical book on bioethics. To exemplify her proposed participatory theological bioethics, she highlights uch diverse subjects as the Milwaukee Innerci- ty Congregations for Hope (MICAH); hospice; Cardinal Joseph Bemardin; aJe- suit psychiatrist, Angelo D'Agostino, who heads an orphanage and clinic for chil- dren with AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya; and many more. She examines closely the work of the Catholic Health Association (CHA; see www.chausa.org), as well as that of the Community of Sant'Egidio, anow-inter- national network of "church public lay as- sociations" committed to prayer, commu- "Miss Bronson, bring me everything we've got on cloning." GEORGE B. ABBOn Dylan Redeemed From Highway 61 to Saved By Stephen H.Webb Rock and religion have become intertwined in contemporary culture. Does rock gain its power from the decline of religious authority? Is rock a neutral medium that churches can appropriate with little or no danger to spiritual truths? Do rock and religion have the same ancient roots? Or is rock essen- tially at odds with Christianity? No contemporary musician presents a better test case than Bob Dylan. PB 978 0 8264 191941 $16.95 HC 978 0 8264 2755 71 $65 2006 The Love There That's Sleeping The Art and Spirituality of George Har- rison By Dale C Allison,Jr. Allison's book views Harrison's religious bent as his most interesting trait. Harrison should be admired for having something distinctive to say, and for saying it while knowing that many would not understand and that others who might understand might not be sympathetic. He had the courage of his convictions, to sing to the public what he sang to himself in his heart. PB 978 0 8264 1917 0 1 $17.95 HC 978 0 8264 2756 41 $65 cont inuum Continuum books are available from all fine booksellers, or direct from Continuum 1.800.561.7704 t ' - .  eq ,6 t",l O O O 33 D,. e,t t.,,i b. O O nicating the gospel, and solidarity with the poor (www.santegidio.org). Cahill's wise and radical insight is that these are the places where real "theological bioethics" is---and always has been--living. Politically, Theological Bioethics takes liberal and progressive theologians to task for backing away from using public religious arguments. Cahill enjoins them to take possession of their tradition and to begin using what she calls "expansive" and prophetic theological discourse. She argues against the mistaken otion that the language of the public square is neu- tral. In fact, she notes, it is governed by e very non-neutral traditions of sci- ence, economics, and liberalism, tradi- tions that are not afraid to use their own language assertively. "Theological bio- ethics," Cahill exhorts, "should and can confront these thick traditions with per- suasive counterstrategies, symbolic sys- tems, and narratives, as well as with other ethical 'reasons.' The challenge before theologians is not to cast aside a thin dis- course for a richer one, but to dislodge the thick discourses that are so widely entrenched." But perhaps the most important achieve- ment of this book is to turn readers' at- tention to the significantly overlooked issue of global health. One critic has aptly referred to bioethics in the United States as "quandaries ofthe rich"; and indeed, most of the dilemmas on which bioethics focuses--stem-cell research, genetics, withdrawing treatment--can o ly be problems where one has too much health care. Yet the larger and more compelling issue, especially for Christians, ought o be that most of the world lacks access not only to health care, but also to what Cahill calls "the adequate conditions for a healthy life." A tradition that seeks to uphold the sanctity of life and the dig- nity of the individual while ignoring the hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths that occur each day--not o men- tion the tragic conditions under which much of humanity labors--is indeed a betrayal of the gospel. A book's trengths can be the flip side of its weaknesses. The encyclopedic na- ture of Cahill's approach may be a bit overwhelming for those unfamiliar with the field. In place of some of the exten- sive background on the issues, a richer and more detailed theological analysis would have been a plus. Theology here is limited to the standard values of jus- tice and preferential treatment for the poor, the common good, and the doc- trine of creation. The theology behind these values is only minimally discussed. Second, while the call to engagement and mobilization is laudable (and, I think, right), it is not clear how Cahill propos- es to accomplish that. Most theologians who work in the area of bioethics are em- ployed by colleges and universities. For better or for worse, this is the current "so- cial location" of theology, and it is one in which the sort of activism Cahill enjoins is not rewarded, and may even work against junior faculty. CHA, on the other hand, is an organization with a significant bud- get and a staff of sixty-five people, many of whom are employed precisely as advo- cams for the kinds of ventures called for 34 in these pages (for example, supportive care for the dying). Thus, Cahill is really calling for a fundamental change in the ways and places theology is practiced. As a theologian, I endorse this call; yet pre- cisely how the nonspecialist might enter into this participatory theological bioethics is not entirely clear. Third, one might ask whether the ex- amples Cahill offers as paradigms of"the- ological bioethics" actually fit the des- ignation. Most of her exemplars--Sant' Egidio, CHA, Fr. D'Agostino, and oth- ers---do not see themselves primarily as theologians or bioethicists. Rather, they understand themselves primarily as Chris- tians embodying the work of the gospel in the world. CHA, for example, refers to its work in Catholic health care as "the ministry." What value is gained by categorizing these exemplars under the heading of "bioethics"? Might the wit- ness of Cahill's subjects uggest that per- haps the term "bioethics" is too thin to capture the richness of what these indi- viduals and organizations are about? This question points to my final con- cem. Cahill's exemplars are chosen not solely because they work with "expan- sive" theological language, or because they are equally committed to justice and the common good, but above all because they collaborate with persons from di- verse perspectives topush for changes in policy and practice. Participatory democ- racy seems to be Cahill's crucial deter- minative norm; without it, Christian activists do not enter into her account. And so, I fear, those Alexandrian Chris- tians I mentioned at the outset would fail her test. They were not collaborat- ing ( the pagans had actually fled) or work- ing to change policy; they were simply caring for, and dying with, the sick. But this is not enough for Cahill. While her challenging book pushes theologians to think differently about bioethics, her own examples push her to open the door more broadly. Perhaps there is one more thick tradition to dislodge--the tradi- tion of bioethics itself. 9 M. Therese Lysaught eaches in the reli- gious studies department at the University of Dayton. D,. e',l g. o o 35 

A Call to Activism, review of \u3cem\u3eTheological Bioethics,\u3c/em\u3e by Lisa Cahill

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1083&amp;context=theo_fac

A Call to Activism, review of \u3cem\u3eTheological Bioethics,\u3c/em\u3e by Lisa Cahill

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