Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Internet Journal of Catholic Bioethics. The Journal is a peer-reviewed quarterly publication sponsored by the Institute of Catholic Bioethics of St. Joseph’s University Philadelphia PA. Our goal is to advance and facilitate interdisciplinary discussion on a wide range of bioethical topics.

Scientific discoveries and technological applications in medicine are advancing at a rapid pace. Media bombards the populace with a plethora of confusing medical opinion. Medical costs are soaring and there is a growing disparity in healthcare delivery. HIV/AIDS is decimating a continent. These are but a few issues that give the subject of bioethics an ever increasing practical relevance for all those working in philosophy, medicine, law, sociology, public policy, education and related fields.

The Internet Journal of Catholic Bioethics provides a forum for original scholarship and commentary that addresses the ethical, philosophical, theological and clinical issues in health, medicine, medical research, and biotechnology as they affect individuals, communities, and societies. These issues are considered in relation to concrete ethical, legal and policy problems, or in terms of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories used in discussions of such problems.

We invite our colleagues in medicine, ethics and law to submit editorials, original papers, case reports, reviews and correspondence to the Journal. We also welcome submissions from graduate and undergraduate students.