Ordinary and Extraordinary Care Archives | Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

A Stronger Moral Obligation to Vaccinate (National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly)

April 22, 2023April 22, 2023 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC 4 comments

Back in December, I published a summary of an academic article from the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly on why COVID vaccines were ordinary means. Not only did I summarize it, but after communicating briefly with one of the authors, I […]

Vaccines

COVID Vaccines Are Ordinary Means & Thus Morally Obligatory (National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly)

December 15, 2022December 16, 2022 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC 4 comments

Back in the spring, I posted two pieces in a series. In one, I argued that by a usual definition of “ordinary means,” widely (almost universally) recommended vaccines, including COVID vaccines, are ordinary means. In the second, I posted snippets […]

A building on North Dakota State University where the two authors teach

The Duty to Vaccinate in Catholic Social Teaching (2/2)

May 6, 2022May 6, 2022 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC 2 comments

On Wednesday, I wrote about some moral theology principles on vaccines. I showed several points. Diseases are physical evils and vaccines thus relate to the most fundamental principles of moral theology. Vaccines are ordinary means so have a general obligation. […]