Dr. José María Simón Castellví
President Emeritus of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC)
Member of two Royal Academies
Several Australian Catholic doctors and other experts have just published an article in the journal of the Catholic doctors in the United States, The Linacre Quarterly. They respond, with great academic courtesy and with strong arguments, to the book that the Pontifical Academy for Life published in 2022 in Italian entitled “Theological Ethics of Life.” The FIAMC has published this article on its website, the link to which appears at the end of these lines.
The Australians begin by stating the obvious that the teachings of the Catholic Church on human sexuality, contraception and the treatment of infertility are already well established and clearly set out in numerous documents, including the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae of Saint Paul VI. and the apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio of Saint John Paul II. On the contrary, the Academy’s book, in its 7th chapter, contains statements about contraception and assisted reproductive technologies that seem to contrast with the teachings of the Church on these delicate topics.
Catholic doctors suggest better knowledge of the means available today to help fertility: Fertility Awareness Methods and Restorative Reproductive Medicine. These are effective, safe and consistent with the nature of the human being and with the desires of our Creator.
Paul VI asked us doctors to consider it as our own professional task to provide ourselves with all the necessary science to give the spouses who consult us wise advice and healthy guidelines on these delicate issues that they rightfully expect from us. Giving advice on sexuality, natural regulation of fertility and aid in the transmission of life are part of the doctor’s mission.
The so-called assisted reproduction methods actually replace the spouses instead of helping them. They do not transmit human life as God desires and leave many human embryos in the freezer or discarded.
Contraceptives, unlike natural Natural Family Planning methods (useful to find a child or space births), violate several human rights: the right to life (those that are microabortive), the right to health ( due to its side effects compared to natural ones), the right to equality between the sexes (the contraceptive or abortive burden falls much more on women), the right to education (human beings should be able to know their signs of fertility, such as cervical mucus) and the right to enjoy the best possible environment (the pill or condoms are polluting).
I do not wish to take God’s name in vain, but the Creator also has His rights and, regarding the transmission of life, He has already made them clear to us in Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. It is a miserable waste of time to oppose clear teaching even if it is wrapped in academic language. I am perfectly aware that, with respect to contraception and in vitro fertilization, those of us who today accept the teachings of the Church (and of nature created by God) are a minority. But we are a minority that is called to be leaven. We are here to help spouses and to embrace life. In fact, millions of families are happy in this world (and will be even happier in the next) living their sexuality correctly.
PS/
An Evaluation of Controversial Statements in Etica Teologica Della Vita (catholicmedicine.org)
