Name: ______________________
Due Date: ________________________
Last Day Accepted: ________________
Why Do Ethics Matter?
You will write a paper examining the ethical implications on the topic of either capital punishment,
abortion, or euthanasia. In your paper you will examine your own position but you will do this within the
framework of a Christian Ethicist. Within your paper, be sure to consider the position of the Catholic
Church as found in the Catechism, Scripture, Encyclicals, and/or official statements.
Some things to consider while creating your arguments:
 Introduction – any solid essay includes a thesis statement and may (briefly) introduce arguments or
ideas that will appear later in the essay (be careful of too much information too soon)
 A strong essayist and ethicist consider ideas, arguments and evidence from a variety of sources and
reflective of varying opinions.
 Catholicism – Remember that this is a Catholic religion class. Incorporate ideas, concepts, quotations
from appropriate resources. Even if your base position is not in-line with the Catholic church, you
need to address their arguments/positions.
 Conclude your essay with authority and with a clear point (likely reflective of your thesis) – this is
what you have been working towards proving
 References – all quotations and ideas that come from another source must be documented in MLA
(parenthetical) reference format. Failure to do this (or doing it improperly) can be deemed plagiarism.
Suggestions:
1. Read various opinions/arguments (and think about) all the information with an open mind. Be
brave and tackle tough arguments and push yourself to create interesting and inquisitive
responses.
2. Consider writing the body of your paper first and saving the introduction and conclusion until last.
Criteria
Remedial
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Demonstrates
insufficient
knowledge or
understanding of the
themes of Choosing
Life – Consistent Life
Ethic, Culture of
Death, Culture of Life
Interprets and
articulates arguments
both for and against
the issue in an
insufficient manner.
Demonstrates limited
knowledge and
understanding of the
themes of Choosing
Life – Consistent Life
Ethic, Culture of
Death, Culture of Life
Demonstrates some
knowledge and
understanding of the
themes of Choosing
Life – Consistent Life
Ethic, Culture of
Death, Culture of Life
Demonstrates
knowledge and
understanding of the
themes of Choosing
Life – Consistent Life
Ethic, Culture of
Death, Culture of Life
Interprets and
articulates arguments
both for and against
the issue with limited
accuracy
Interprets and
articulates arguments
both for and against
the issue with some
accuracy
Interprets and
articulates arguments
both for and against
the issue with
accuracy
Communication
Articulates ideas and
arguments in an
unclear manner.
A distracting number
of errors in spelling
and grammar
Articulates ideas and
arguments with
limited clarity
Uses language with
limited accuracy and
effectiveness
Many errors in
spelling and grammar
Articulates ideas and
arguments with some
clarity
Uses language with
some accuracy and
effectiveness
Some errors in
spelling and grammar
Application
Unable to apply
Catholic Social
Teaching to the issue
at hand.
Applies Catholic
Social Teaching with
limited effectiveness
to the issue at hand.
Applies Catholic
Social Teaching
moderately well to
the issue at hand.
Articulates ideas and
arguments with
considerable clarity
Uses language with
considerable
accuracy and
effectiveness
Few errors in spelling
and grammar
Applies Catholic
Social Teaching
considerably well to
the issue at hand.
Demonstrates
thorough knowledge
and understanding of
the themes of
Choosing Life –
Consistent Life Ethic,
Culture of Death,
Culture of Life
Interprets and
articulates arguments
both for and against
the issue with
considerable
accuracy
Articulates ideas and
arguments with a
high degree of clarity
Uses language with a
high degree of
accuracy and
effectiveness
Almost no errors in
spelling and grammar
Applies Catholic
Social Teaching
extremely well to the
issue at hand.
Knowledge/
Understanding:
Thinking / Inquiry