Šeman Elvis I, Mathieson Eamonn M, Villa Umberto P, Little Deirdre T, Juanta Randy Dlr, Corby Paschal, Fleming John I
Adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health , Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia.
Mercy Hospital for Women, Anaesthetic Department, Melbourne, Australia.
Linacre Q. 2024 Nov;91(4):403-420. doi: 10.1177/00243639241245316. Epub 2024 Apr 23.
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 (e.g. in-vitro fertilization, 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.
天主教会关于人类性行为、避孕和不孕症治疗的教义在许多教会文件中都有明确确立和清晰阐释，包括《人类生命》和《家庭团体》。2022年，一本意大利语书籍出版，其中报道了天主教会一所学院举办的关于生命伦理的研讨会。该书名为《生命的神学伦理》（意大利语缩写为“ETV”），第七章的结论包含了关于避孕和辅助生殖技术（ART）的陈述，这些陈述虽然有些难以解读，但在这些主题上似乎与教会公认的教义存在争议。本文呈现了一组澳大利亚天主教医生和伦理学家对ETV第172和173段英文译文的详细分析，并得出结论，认为这些陈述偏离并违背了天主教关于避孕和ART的公认教义。作者们还声称，ETV第172和173段似乎缺乏对安全、有效、易于获取且符合天主教伦理的避孕和ART合适当前替代方法（例如体外受精，IVF）的全面最新知识和理解。作者们建议，在从事生育意识方法（FAMs）和恢复性生殖医学（RRM）领域工作的天主教医学专家的投入帮助下，更好地理解当前可用的辅助生育护理方法，将能为教会内关于避孕和ART的持续辩论提供更充分的信息，并为信徒提供帮助，应鼓励他们寻求这些既有效又符合教会关于人类性行为和道德教义的替代方法。
