Abstract

The solution to the problem of designing an adequate system for the allocation of health care resources in the United States, including a strategy for rationing, is contingent upon the adequacy of the moral basis from which it springs. The liberal vision of society, in itself, has proven inadequate. This dissertation argues that there exists in the Catholic tradition an alternative vision of society which, while holding to the unique value of each individual person, presumes the radically social nature of the person. Central to that vision is the notion of the common good, to which all persons are drawn, to which all ought to contribute and in which all ought to be able to participate. ;Using an historical-critical method, the dissertation first traces the development of common good theory in Catholic theology. Then it scrutinizes five objections drawn from liberal and feminist ethical circles to the applicability of common good theory. Finally the work of three contemporary communitarian bioethicists, Larry Churchill, Ezeckiel Emanuel, and Daniel Callahan, and recent publications of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association are examined for their use of the common good as a basis for recommending health care reform. ;The dissertation concludes that a revitalized notion of the common good in which health care is understood as a social good to which all have a right can be a meaningful contribution to the public debate about health care resource allocation