Papers by Dr Anthony McCarthy
Logos i Ethos, 2019
In the 1960s, before the promulgation of Humanae Vitae, the Catholic philosophers Elizabeth Ansco... more In the 1960s, before the promulgation of Humanae Vitae, the Catholic philosophers Elizabeth Anscombe and Herbert McCabe OP debated whether there are convincing natural law arguments for the claim that contraception violates an exceptionless moral norm. This article revisits those arguments and critiques McCabe’s approach to natural law, concerned primarily with ‘social sin’ and not simply violations of ‘right reason,’ as one particularly ill-suited to addressing questions in sexual ethics and unable both to distinguish properly between certain forms of sexual wrongdoing and more obviously social sins such as theft, and also to distinguish between ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ sexual acts. Anscombe’s views, I argue, are closer to those of Thomas Aquinas and provide reasons for making the distinctions McCabe does not. An argument concerning the nature of the institution of marriage and the effects of non-marital acts on that institution is proposed as a way of strengthening Anscombe’s argument that contraception violates an exceptionless moral norm
Abortions are often performed to prevent suffering, and can certainly cause suffering, both menta... more Abortions are often performed to prevent suffering, and can certainly cause suffering, both mental and physical, for the woman. But can an abortion also cause suffering for the foetus and if so, at what stage in pregnancy?: And what moral significance might this have?
The Linacre Quarterly, 2019
Is the “act itself” of separating a pregnant woman and her previable child neither good nor bad m... more Is the “act itself” of separating a pregnant woman and her previable child neither good nor bad morally, considered in the abstract? Recently, Maureen Condic and Donna Harrison have argued that such separation is justified to protect the mother’s life and that it does not constitute an abortion as the aim is not to kill the child. In our article on maternal–fetal conflicts, we agree there need be no such aim to kill (supplementing aims such as to remove). However, we argue that to understand “abortion” as performed only where the death of the child is intended is to define the term too narrowly. Respect for the mother, the fetus, and the bond between them goes well beyond avoiding any such aim. We distinguish between legitimate maternal treatments simply aimed at treating or removing a damaged part of the woman and illegitimate treatments that focus harmfully on the fetal body and its presence within the mother’s body. In obstetrics as elsewhere, not all side effects for one subject...
Nova et vetera, 2019
Market research presumably confirms that the Summa Theologiae attracts readers, a difficult text,... more Market research presumably confirms that the Summa Theologiae attracts readers, a difficult text, for which guidance is needed. Cambridge University Press has republished (in paperback) the 60-volume Blackfriars edition that was created by Thomas Gilby with the help of T.C. O'Brien. Six excellent single-handed introductions are currently available:
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Papers by Dr Anthony McCarthy