The Limits Of Freedom

FATHER JOHN CATOIR, CNS

Published: September 30, 2004

Cardinal Newman was a champion of freedom of conscience, but he also knew its limits. He wrote, “Conscience is not a license [to do as you please]. On the contrary it is a stern mother. One must be concerned about God’s law and the common good.”

The unbridled exaltation of human freedom has led to great harm in society. The drug subculture attests to that. There are other moral limits that cannot be ignored and still be in good conscience.

In civil law we have the classic example of the constitutional right of free speech. You are free to say whatever you want in America, but within limits. You are not free to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. It could lead to panic and human injury. Inciting a riot is a crime.

On a different issue, American law permits abortion. Normally, the law is supposed to protect the sanctity of life. In the United States, however, one can murder an infant in the womb with impunity. Ironically, one second after the birth of a baby the law protects the infant as a person, with legal rights under the law.

It is immoral to stop a beating heart no matter what the law says. One might be allowed to follow freedom when there is a doubt, but the only doubt in the case of abortion has to do with the time life begins. The precise time it takes the male sperm and female ovum to unite and become a human person is unknown. Douching immediately after a rape is considered to be morally permissible even in Catholic hospitals.

What about withholding extraordinary means to sustain life in the case of a dying patient? It is not immoral to withdraw life support from those who are near death; one does not have to sustain life artificially for months or even years, thus denying a patient the right to die with dignity. As long as there is no direct attack on the person’s life it is permitted to withdraw the life-support systems, allowing nature to take its course.

The head of the family has the authority to make this decision in good conscience after consulting other family members and medical experts.

Removing the feeding tube, however, is another matter. Once it is inserted, its removal may have criminal implications. I am not going to make any general statements except to say all decisions involving another human life go beyond one’s private right to freedom of conscience.

Dorothy Day was courageous in exercising her conscience, but she always remained focused on God’s will. In a 1935 issue of the Catholic Worker, she wrote:

“The early Christians started with the works of mercy, and it was this technique which converted the world. Starting with the corporal works of mercy, to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, etc., and concluding with the spiritual works of mercy: to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, etc.” She continued, “Not all works are within the reach of all, that is understood. But, that we should take part in some of them is a matter of obligation, a ‘strict precept’ imposed by the natural and divine law.”

Use the gift of freedom well, and always respect the rights of others.