Społeczny charakter troski o życie i zdrowie

Abstract

In the author’s intention the article is a continuation of the earlier reflections on dignity of the medical vocation (RT 44:1997 z. 3) and value of human life (RT 45:1998 z. 3). Recognition of the value of human life results in a call for care for life and health, but this responsibility for life cannot be expressed only in terms of an individual or limited to a narrowly understood medicine ethics. If care for life and health is to be complete and at the same time to give some real results, it should be understood as part of the ethics of social life. However, showing the social character of the responsibility for health cannot mean a loss of personal responsibility. Looking for a theological-moral foundation on which to show the social character of the care for life and health the author points first of all to the communal (social) character of human life. With reference to the encyclical “Evangelium vitae” he stresses the fact that life is a social value, which is connected to the fact that a man as a person is fulfilled in an unsesfish gift of himself - hence his life also is to be a gift of love for other people. At the same time every man is “a task” assigned to another man which means that care for one’s life and health is tantamount to fulfilling the commandment about loving one’s neighbour. It is in the light of this commandment that a full understanding of the commandment “Thou shall not kill” is possible. The social character of caring for one’s life and health has its justification not only in the doctrinal field, but also by referring it to actual social conditions. If many dangers to life issue from the very character of social life, care for life and health cannot but take into consideration the social dimension. Also medicine itself has today assumed a social, that is state and organizational character. Pointing to concrete aspects of this social care for life and health the author discusses not only those problems which have a general social character (e.g. care for a proper lifestyle), but also the role of the family as the “sanctuary of life” social conditions for the life of the employees of medical services and the role of social prophylactic in which a special role is played, among others, by the care for the natural environment, for healthy flats and houses and healthy food, and for proper working conditions. It is the author’s conviction that only joining personal and social responsibility for life and health can bring lasting results in caring for these values.