“We [the Islamic and Catholic faiths] share a special respect for life. For Catholics this is often summed up with the expression 'sacredness of human life', which includes respect for the life and dignity of every human being... Muslims fully agree with this...” (Excerpt from the Joint Statement on the Cairo Conference on Population and Development by the American Muslim Council and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). The sacredness of human life is the belief that life is precious and must not, under any circumstances, be damaged or destroyed, but respected, protected and preserved. The Catholic Church and Islam have an almost identical concept of the sacredness of life, where life is seen as a fundamental gift from their god. The protection and respect for human life has been a highly controversial issue and cause for concern for the Catholic Church and Islam. Bioethics is one of those issues related to the sanctity of life where this belief is constantly violated, causing much debate and the need for a spiritual solution. Bioethics is defined as “the study of ethical, social, legal, philosophical, and other issues that arise in health care, life sciences, and biotechnology” (Healey, J. 2009). Subtopics of bioethics where the Islamic faith and the Catholic Church have some similarities are surrogacy, organ donation, and euthanasia. They also have divergent positions regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF), contraception and abortion. Catholics make decisions on such matters using the teachings of Jesus, the Bible and the authority of the Pope. Muslims base all their decisions on the words of Allah which were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the Holy Quran, Islamic scholars... half of the sheet... their fundamental principle of the sanctity of life question. Although the Catholic Church and Islam have almost identical concepts on the sanctity of human life, each religion has similar views on surrogacy, organ donation and euthanasia, but also has different positions on the practices of in vitro fertilization, contraception and abortion. These issues have certainly caused some conflict, but “it is clearly spelled out in the teachings of both traditions the right of every individual to true development in all dimensions, social, cultural and spiritual, with justice and equality for all so that every person can have the opportunity to experience the divine gifts of dignity and peace.” (Excerpt from the joint statement of the American Muslim Council and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Cairo Conference on Population and Development.)