Persons, not Products
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
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On February 22, 1987 – that is, twenty years ago
– the Catholic Church gave our society a tremendous gift, and it’s time to open
it again. It was a clear trumpet blast of truth and compassion, a ray of Gospel
light on problems that continue to be some of the most vexing of our time.
The gift was a document called “Donum Vitae”
(Latin words that mean “The Gift of Life”). Issued by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, the document’s fuller title is “Instruction on Respect
for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to
Certain Questions of the Day.”
The document is not long; it can easily be read
in a single sitting. It talks about the tiniest human beings: who they are and
how they come to be. It talks about how we treat zygotes and embryos – two
categories to which each of us reading this article once belonged. It emphasizes
the fact that each person has both a right to life, and a right to come into
life in the proper way – not as the result of a scientific project in the lab,
but as a result of the union of two people lovingly united in body and soul.
Among the questions the document tackles are the
following: What is the relationship between science and ethics? Must the
embryo be treated as a person? Is every human being a human person? Is pre-natal
diagnosis morally acceptable? Is experimentation on human embryos and fetuses
morally acceptable? What is the Church’s objection to in-vitro fertilization and
surrogate motherhood? May embryos be frozen? How does the Church look upon
infertile couples? In what way may medical science assist the act of
procreation? What is the responsibility of lawmakers toward the human embryo?
The document does not simply lay down “dos and
don’ts,” and it is not a condemnation. Rather, it places these teachings in the
context of our personal relationship with God, who loves us. Donum Vitae
says, “It is out of goodness -- in order to indicate the path of life -- that
God gives human beings His commandments and the grace to observe them: and it is
likewise out of goodness -- in order to help them persevere along the same path
-- that God always offers to everyone His forgiveness. Christ has compassion on
our weaknesses: He is our Creator and Redeemer.”
The document reminds us that every human being,
from fertilization, must be treated as a person both inside and outside the
womb. “How could a human individual not be a human person?” the document
asks. Even “human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and subjects
with rights.” And in regard to the Church’s absolute prohibition on procured
abortion, Donum Vitae declares, “This teaching has not been changed
and is unchangeable.”
In short, children are a gift, and therefore can
neither be discarded nor demanded. They are persons, not products. Let’s learn
anew the message of Donum Vitae!
The full text of Donum Vitae
is available at
www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/donumvitae.htm
