The Moral Dilemma Concerning the Termination of Tubal Pregnancies by Means of Salpingostomy and Methotrexate. An Account of the Major Reasons and Arguments of the Initial Stage of the Current Theological Debate.

Abstract

Respected Catholic moral thinkers have continued to debate over two methods for managing ectopic pregnancies, namely, the operation called “salpingostomy” and the use of the pharma-ceutical preparation called “methotrexate”. This debate has arisen for two reasons: first, be-cause the invention and popularization of these methods requires their moral evaluation, and second, because for the time being there is no specific moral teaching of the Magisterium dealing explicitly with either of these. Many catholic moral theologians and ethicists have evaluated these two methods, according to traditional moral principles, as direct killing of the embryo (an innocent human being) and therefore as morally impermissible acts. However, there are others who also would like to remain faithful to Magisterial teaching but use a dif-ferent interpretation and application of the same traditional principles and consider these two methods to be indirect killing of the embryo and therefore as morally permissible acts. This article constitutes the first part of the presentation of the arguments endorsed by both sides of this moral debate.