The quality of life, the sanctity of life.

The tragic case of Karen Ann Quinlan sent moral theologians and ethicists back to their traditions to reevaluate the formulations that attempted to spell out and mediate traditional value judgments in an increasingly complex world. Conceptualization has always been very important to moral theology. Because times, circumstances, and perspectives change, sometimes dramatically, the viability of some of our most treasured value judgments depends on the accuracy of their formulation in our time. The adequacy of our formulations is being challenged in the area of life-preservation. The availability of powerful new technologies that can sustain life almost indefinitely has forced us to ask: what are we doing when we intervene to stave off death? What values are we seeking to serve? How should we formulate these values in our time if we are to