The chapters in this book are all adapted from presentations given at CBHD’s 27th annual summer conference, Bioethics in Real Life: Lessons We’re Learning from COVID-19. Held in June 2020, Bioethics in Real Life was most certainly not the conference we expected to hold that year, nor did we expect to offer an entirely online conference. Nevertheless, we are thankful we were able to connect virtually for the conference, even if it was an unexpected development.
Each of the writers brings clarity, precision, and nuance to the topic he or she addresses, which is so vitally important to the task of loving our neighbor. Our task is not to ask questions about who our neighbor is; our task is to love all who are in need, regardless of race, color, age, or stage of development. Each is a unique person deserving of our care. We can only truly love our neighbor when we understand well what his or her needs are and how we might best go about meeting those needs. We discover or uncover our neighbor’s needs through personal engagement and by careful research that is accompanied by thoughtful, discerning evaluation. We love our neighbors more fully and more authentically as we better understand the context in which they and we live, as we meet them in the midst of their distress, and as we properly recognize their infinite value.
