In February 1987, the church released a document titled “Gift of Life” (Donum Vitae). It was published by the Congregation for the Faith, headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the time (now Pope Benedict XVI), and formally endorsed by Pope John Paul II. For over 20 years that document, prophetic in many ways, constituted a basic moral guide to biological research and practices in the field of transmitting human life. It treated issues of infertility, abortion, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, freezing of embryos, etc. and even of human cloning. The document clearly showed how every moral judgment of the church in these areas is based upon the desire to protect human dignity.
After 20 years there was a call for a review of the church’s teaching in the light of new research and discovery. That review was released on Dec. 12, 2008, by the Congregation for the Faith, headed now by Cardinal William Levada, and endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI. The new document, titled “The Dignity of a Person” (Dignitatis Personae), deserves attention. For we all live today in a “brave new world,” dominated by biological and medical considerations. And we shall continue to dwell in this world for a long time.
The new document reflects the teaching of the original “Gift of Life.” (Nineteen of the 59 footnotes refer to the previous document.) Several things struck me when reading “The Dignity of a Person.”
One was the careful and thoughtful defense of human dignity. Once we are conceived, we reflect the image and likeness of God. And that divine reflection must be protected. Even at that earliest life stage we are not mere biological material, not a mere collection of cells, not research matter to be played with, as some researchers claim. We are human beings, to be respected as persons. That means that certain procedures must be rejected. Some researchers complain that the church’s restrictions hinder scientific work. But, in the words of the document: “Behind every ‘no,’ there shines a great ‘yes’ to the recognition of the dignity and inalienable value of every single and unique human being” (37) and “The legitimacy of every prohibition is based on the need to protect an authentic moral good.” (36)
One of the areas treated in the document not found in the previous “Gift of Life” is that of stem cells. (Stem cells were not isolated until the end of the 1990’s.) Today they play a major role in scientific experimentation.
The magisterial teaching of the church is clear: obtaining “embryonic” stem cells is intrinsically wrong since it involves destruction of embryos; using “adult” stem cells is not, since it does not involve destruction of human life. This teaching has been reflected in many church statements. “The Dignity of a Person” speaks also of the large number of frozen embryos in existence and the problem of what to do with them. (Recent reports indicate that over 400,000 such frozen, unused embryos are in American fertility clinics.) From a moral standpoint killing them is no answer; experimenting with them (and killing them in the process) is no answer either. The new document states sadly: “It needs to be recognized that the thousands of abandoned embryos represent a situation of injustice which in fact cannot be resolved. There seems to be no morally licit solution regarding the human destiny of the thousands and thousands of ‘frozen’ embryos.” (19)
A closely related issue is that of “prenatal adoption.” In recent years, infertile couples have used frozen embryos from fertility clinics to gestate children. In this way, they save at least some embryos from certain destruction. Church theologians differed on the morality of such practice.
“The Dignity of a Person” states: “Pre-natal adoption, praiseworthy with regard to the intention of respecting and defending human life, presents however various problems.” I accept the judgment of the church but I would hope that Catholic theologians would continue to study carefully this issue to see if these problems could be resolved.
For those interested I suggest a careful reading of “The Dignity of a Person.” It reflects the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church on critical bioethical issues of our day.
The world needs that guidance in order to promote a culture life in our society.
Father John A. Leies, SM, STD, is president emeritus of St. Mary’s University and was formerly head of the Theology Department there.