The teachings of the Catholic Church on human sexuality, contraception and the treatment of infertility are well established and clearly explained in many Church documents, including Humanae vitae and Familiaris consortio.
In 2022, a book was published in Italian which reported on a seminar organised by an Academy of the Catholic Church about the ethics of life. Titled the Theological Ethics of Life (abbreviated ‘ETV’ in Italian), the conclusion of chapter VII contains statements about contraception and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) which, though somewhat difficult to interpret, appear to be controversial with regard to accepted Church teaching on these subjects.
This paper presents a detailed analysis by a group of Australian Catholic doctors and ethicists of an English translation of paragraphs 172 and 173 of ETV and concludes that they contain statements which deviate from and contradict accepted Catholic teaching on contraception and ART.
The authors also claim that a thorough up-to-date knowledge and understanding of suitable current alternatives to contraception and ART (eg in-vitro fertilisation, IVF) which are safe, effective, readily accessible and consistent with Catholic ethics appears to be lacking in paragraphs 172 and 173 of ETV.
The authors suggest a better understanding of currently available methods to assist with fertility care, aided by input from Catholic medical experts working in the areas of Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs) and Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) would better inform ongoing debates about contraception and ART within the Church and be of service to the Faithful who should be encouraged to pursue these alternatives which are both effective and consistent with Church teaching on human sexuality and morals.
The Linacre Quarterly, April 23, 2024
Elvis I. Šeman MBBS, FRANZCOG, EUCOGE, FRCOG, NFPMC, PhD
Eamonn M. Mathieson MBBS, FANZCA
Umberto P. Villa BS, MBBS
Deirdre T. Little MBBS, FACRRM, DRANZCOG, G CERT Bioeth
Randy DLR Juanta BMBS
Paschal Corby MBBS. BTheol, STL, STD
John I. Fleming BA, ThL (Hons)
Brendan Purcell BA, BD, STL, PhD
The Linacre Quarterly (LQR) is the oldest continuously published bioethics journal in the United States. As the official journal of the Catholic Medical Association, LQR explores issues at the interface of medicine and religion, focusing on bioethics and also exploring medical topics which have an ethical dimension.
Drawing from the rich tradition of Catholic bioethics, LQR brings a holistic approach to the patient, integrating findings from clinical medicine with psychology, sociology, and religion in order to elucidate bioethical issues and their impact on patients, health-care workers, and medical systems in the setting of society and the extant culture.
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
