A Research on the Bioethics Awareness of Catholic Seminarians

This study aimed to examine the level of bioethics awareness among Catholic Seminarians and identify the factors influencing it, with the aim of providing foundational data for establishing the direction, and system of bioethics education. The research method involved a survey targeting seminarians from dioceses and religious orders, ranging from first-year students to deacons at six seminaries nationwide, to determine their level of bioethics awareness and the factors affecting it. Factors influencing the bioethics awareness of Catholic seminarians included dealing with differences between individuals and groups, a subdomain of ethical sensitivity, and indifference (a reverse-scored item), a subdomain of compassion. Additionally, general characteristics such as academic year and age, and bioethics-related characteristics such as ethical values, exposure to bioethics concepts, experience in bioethics education, and willingness to participate in future bioethics education showed significant differences. This study holds great significance in that it explored the level of bioethics awareness and identified influencing factors, focusing on ethical sensitivity and compassion, at a time when quantitative research on the bioethics awareness of Catholic seminarians is scarce. It is hoped that further research to enhance the bioethical awareness of Catholic seminarians will be actively pursued in the future.