In the face of illness, it is hard to feel “dignified.” More likely, we feel compromised, constrained, vulnerable, exposed, confused, and afraid. During our healthcare encounters, we are placed in a “waiting room” and referred to as “patients.” It’s no wonder we feel a bit subservient when we seek treatment. Fortunately, respecting our dignity is an important aspect of medical ethics and patient care. Healthcare providers now emphasize choice, autonomy, accessibility, fairness, inclusion, privacy, comfort, and security within our interactions. Those who care for the sick are sensitive to our human frailties and concerns. As compassionate guardians and servants of human life, they are also keenly aware of the overarching dignity of the human person.

From a philosophical perspective, humans are the only earthly creatures that possess free will, the capacity to reason, and the ability to evaluate the morality of decisions. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

This is a major step forward in declaring our human dignity and intrinsic rights. It forms the basis for our accountability regarding our decisions and implores us to act morally. However, defining our worth and our liberties solely on the basis of our birth, rationality, and conscience creates a void concerning the value of human life in cases where those criteria are lacking. Examples include the unborn, the unconscious, the cognitively impaired, and the mentally ill. It also creates a subjective valuation of life for those whose quality of life, contributions to society, or ability to consent are diminished. In those types of cases, human life can be jeopardized if the financial cost, the level of care, or the perceived level of suffering become the main factors for assessing viability. The boundaries of moral behavior are blurred when the guidelines for morality are not a natural extension of God’s reason and will.

From a theological perspective, our human dignity derives from God who creates mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “Endowed with a spiritual soul, with intellect and with free will, the human person is from his very conception ordered to God and destined for eternal beatitude. He pursues his perfection in ‘seeking and loving what is true and good’ (GS 15 § 2)” (CCC 1711). Everything good comes from God. His free and gratuitous gifts–including our lives, abilities, and rights–can only be taken away by Him. The Catechism continues: “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being (Donum Vitae)” (CCC 2258).

Our ontological human dignity is indelible. The 2024 Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Dignitas Infinita explains: “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter. This principle, which is fully recognizable even by reason alone, underlies the primacy of the human person and the protection of human rights.” Pope Francis affirms that “the dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently.” The Catechism states: “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons” (CCC 357).

Dignitas Infinita recalls that Jesus himself reveals our dignity through his Incarnation, preaching, and ministry. It summarizes: “By uniting himself with every human being through his Incarnation, Jesus Christ confirmed that each person possesses an immeasurable dignity simply by belonging to the human community; moreover, he affirmed that this dignity can never be lost. By proclaiming that the Kingdom of God belongs to the poor, the humble, the despised, and those who suffer in body and spirit; by healing all sorts of illnesses and infirmities, even the most dramatic ones, such as leprosy; by affirming that whatever is done to these individuals is also done to him because he is present in them: in all these ways, Jesus brought the great novelty of recognizing the dignity of every person, especially those who were considered ‘unworthy.’”

Pope Saint John Paul II describes how Christ does this through love: “Jesus did not only treat and heal the sick, but he was also a tireless promoter of health through his saving presence, teaching and action. His love for man was expressed in relationships full of humanity, which led him to understand, to show compassion and bring comfort, harmoniously combining tenderness and strength. He was moved by the beauty of nature, he was sensitive to human suffering, he fought evil and injustice. He faced the negative aspects of this experience courageously and, fully aware of the implications, communicated the certainty of a new world. In him, the human condition showed its face redeemed and the deepest human aspirations found fulfillment.” Importantly, Jesus gave his life for the salvation of mankind, not for the salvation of any other creatures.

Acta Apostolicae Sedis states: “By taking the interrelationship of these two dimensions, the human and the divine, as the starting point, one understands better why it is that man has unassailable value: he possesses an eternal vocation and is called to share in the trinitarian love of the living God” (N 8: AAS 100 (2008), 863). The Catechism notes that “The human body shares in the dignity of ‘the image of God’: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit” (CCC 364).

Viewing human dignity through the theological lens returns the ultimate authority over our existence to God. It has serious moral implications regarding the reverence we exhibit toward others. Created in the image of God, every human life is sacred, possesses inherent dignity, and has infinite worth. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

From this perspective, healthcare decisions are moral decisions with eternal consequences. It becomes our duty to protect, preserve, and promote all life from conception to natural death. As such, we must honor and care for our bodies and live for the eternal nature of our souls. “Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for His honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of” (CCC 2280).

Humans have free will, which empowers us to make the choices we perceive as good. We are not, however, endowed with a license to act recklessly, live destructively, and create our own version of reality. We are called to live in communion with God and with others. Loving God and loving thy neighbor are the keys to respecting the dignity of the human person. When we are placed in the position of caring for others, our Divine Physician shows us how to respond with charity. He teaches us to approach each person in need as another self, also created in God’s image. He comforts the suffering with the Good News of the Kingdom. And he invites all of us to come and follow him.

This week, think about advances in medicine, controversial procedures that are labeled as “rights,” and care you would like for yourself and your loved ones. Evaluate these options from a theological perspective. Do they promote, preserve, and protect life as God intended? Are they aligned with our ontological human dignity? The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remarks: “We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.” When it comes to making healthcare decisions, ask yourself “in our modern world, what would Jesus do?”