7-551: The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) is a not-for-profit research center located in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, after previous locations in St. Louis (1972–1985) and Boston (1985–2004). Its mission is "to uphold the dignity of the human person in health care and biomedical research, thereby sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church." The chairman of the Board of Directors
14-512: A USCCB document designed to guide Catholic health care institutions. Not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization ( NFPO ) is a legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. An NFPO does not earn profit for its owners, as any revenue generated by its activities must be put back into the organization. While not-for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations (NPO) are distinct legal entities,
21-774: Is Gregory M. Aymond , Archbishop of New Orleans. The Center publishes Ethics & Medics monthly and The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly , as well as books including the Handbook on Critical Life Issues . The founding president of the Center was Albert S. Moraczewski, O.P. The sixth president is Joseph Meaney, Ph.D., since 2019. The staff of professional ethicists responds to hundreds of requests each year for advice on moral issues of concern to Catholics and other interested parties, via e-mail, phone, and letter. The Ph.D. ethicists include John M. Haas, Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk , and Marie T. Hilliard. The Center also provides moral analysis to
28-563: The COVID-19 pandemic . The activities of the Center include education, publications, research, and public policy. The education department administers "The National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics", a year-long distance learning program that educates candidates in the fundamentals of Catholic medical-moral teaching. The program gives special emphasis to Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services ,
35-586: The goal of generating profit. An example of this is a sports club , which exists for the enjoyment of its members and thus would function well as an NFPO, with revenue being re-invested into improving the organization. These organizations typically file for tax exemption in the United States under section 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code as social clubs. Common ventures for which NFPOs are established include: Charities, as NFPOs, function under
42-690: The offices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and to the dicasteries of the Holy See (Vatican), although the Center is not itself governed or funded by the Catholic Church. In a 1999 article of Ethics & Medics , it was argued that "as parents have a moral obligation to secure the life and health of their children", so too do they "have a moral obligation to provide vaccinations to their children." The NCBC later developed an extensive set of online resources specifically for
49-509: The terms are sometimes used interchangeably. An NFPO must be differentiated from a NPO as they are not formed explicitly for the public good as an NPO must be, and NFPOs are considered "recreational organizations", meaning that they do not operate with the goal of generating revenue as opposed to NPOs. An NFPO does not have the same obligation as an NPO to serve the public good, and as such it may be used to apply for tax-exempt status as an organization that serves its members and does not have
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