A Critique of the Vatican’s “Instruction of Respect for Human Life In Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation”

A Critique of the Vatican’s “Instruction of Respect for Human Life In Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation”

Miniaci Performing Arts Center

This paper critiques a piece written by the Vatican regarding the usage of artificial procreation techniques by various couples and decrees its opinion of such usages as morally permissible or not. The majority of their “instruction” is consistent and validated; however, the Vatican holds overly extreme opinions on many situations, and in those opinions they fail to see exceptions where by their own rules, such acts become morally permissible. Also, one fatal flaw in their view is their absolute association of love and sex in order for a successful marriage to remain consummated. This is preposterous. The Vatican also claims that those children created by artificially procreative methods become less dignified than those created naturally. This, too, is preposterous. For one, God loves all his children equally. So teaches the Vatican. Finally, the Vatican tries to claim infertility is a cross that burden people must bear. They fail to account for people’s free will to bear that burden or not, which is curious since the Vatican teaches free will as part of the Catechism. In short, the extreme and sometimes blind views of the Vatican weaken them throughout their “instruction,” but they are morally validated for the bulk of their “instruction.” Their main fault lies in their self- implied requirement for complete moral validation.