This document discusses the Catholic view of human dignity and the sanctity of life. It begins with a passage from the Bible about choosing life by obeying God's commands and avoiding idolatry. It then provides summaries of Catholic teaching on various "pro-life" issues like abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research. It affirms that all human life must be respected from conception to natural death. It also discusses the Church's opposition to the death penalty and its support for legitimate defense, punishment, and just war.

1. Dignity of Life
Consistent Ethic of Life

2. Deuteronomy 30: 11-20
For this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote
for you. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to the
heavens to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” Nor is it across the
sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it,
that we may do it?” No, it is something very near to you, in your mouth and in
your heart, to do it.
The Choice Before Israel. See, I have today set before you life and good, death
and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am
giving you today, loving the LORD, your God, and walking in his ways, and
keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow
numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering
to possess. If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are
led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that
you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are
crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth today to
witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the
curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the
LORD, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean
life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore to your
ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

3. The Bottom Lines
Each and every human being is owed uncompromising
respect from the very first moment of fertilization*
(i.e., sperm meeting egg) until natural death.
Husbands and wives are called to be cooperators in
God’s continuing work of creation! Awesome!
“A child is a gift of God, the supreme gift of marriage”
(Compendium # 500).
No matter how a new human came to be, she is owed
uncompromising respect. She has the right to
originate in the loving embrace of a mom & dad, who
are wife & husband.

4. * Caveat # 1
• By trying to change the definition of
“conception” from
fertilization of the egg by the sperm
to
implantation of the new life,
some claim that actions that are truly
abortifacient are merely contraceptive.
NOT so!

5. * Caveat # 2
• “Although there is only one form of human sexual
reproduction (via fertilization), there are many different
forms of human a-sexual reproduction….
“If only sexual reproduction (fertilization) is used, that
leaves out of consideration, laws and regulations all a-
sexually reproduced human beings -- which thus opens
the door to killing them by abortion, the use of
abortifacients, and in destructive experimental
research in IVF/ART laboratory research facilities and
‘infertility’ clinics around the globe” (Dianne N. Irving,
M.A., Ph.D., 1/13/19)

6. THE FIFTH
COMMANDMENT:
YOU SHALL NOT
KILL

7. 466. Why must human life be
respected?
•“Human life
must be
respected
because it is
sacred.”

8. 467. Why is the legitimate defense of persons and of society not
opposed to this norm?
• “for someone responsible for the life of another,
legitimate defense can be not only a right but a
grave duty, provided only that disproportionate
force is not used.”
468. What is the purpose of punishment?
• When used properly by the legitimate authority,
punishment is medicinal
(i.e., "A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority
has the aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the
offense, of defending public order and people’s safety,
and contributing to the correction of the guilty party.“)

9. 469. What kind of punishment may be imposed?
• “punishment imposed [by legitimate public
authority] must be proportionate to the
gravity of the offense”
As per Pope Francis and a revision to #2267 of the Catechism of
the Catholic Church,
“the Church teaches, in the light of the
Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is
inadmissible because it is an attack on the
inviolability and dignity of the person’,[1] and
she works with determination for its
abolition worldwide.”

10. 470. What is forbidden by the fifth commandment?
• “The 5th commandment
forbids…
direct & intentional murder….
direct abortion….
direct euthanasia….
suicide”
as well as
“cooperation” in these acts.

11. March
for
Life,
2019

12. Each Saturday at 9:45 am,
a small group prays the
Rosary outside the
Trenton location of our
country’s largest abortion
provider.

13. 471. What medical procedures are permitted when death is
considered imminent?
• “ordinary care owed to a sick
person cannot be legitimately
interrupted….
it is legitimate…to refuse…
disproportionate medical
procedures without reasonable
hope of a positive outcome.”

14. “ordinary care” v.
”disproportionate medical procedures without
reasonable hope of a positive outcome.”
(Saint Pope John Paul ,
3/20/2004)
“the administration of water
and food, even when provided
by artificial means, always
represents a natural means of
preserving life, not a medical
act. Its use, furthermore,
should be considered, in
principle, ordinary and
proportionate, and as such
morally obligatory, insofar as
and until it is seen to have
attained its proper finality,
which in the present case
consists in providing
nourishment to the patient and
alleviation of his suffering.”
Archbishop Wood alumnus and
former Bucks County CC student
“At the age of 26, Terri experienced a still
unexplained collapse….[Her husband claimed
that she] told him prior to her accident that
she would not have wanted to live in a brain
injured condition….On the order of Judge
George W. Greer, Terri was deprived of
water and food and after 13 days, Terri died
on March 31, 2005 of dehydration” (Terri
Schiavo Life and Hope Network)

15. 472. Why must society protect every embryo?
• “….When the State does not
place its power at the service of
the rights of all and in particular
of the more vulnerable,
including unborn children, the
very foundations of a State
based on law are undermined.”

16. 473. How does one avoid scandal?
•“Scandal…is avoided when
we respect the soul and
body of the person.
Anyone who deliberately
leads others to commit
serious sins himself
commits a grave offense.”

17. 474. What duty do we have toward our body?
• “We must take reasonable care of
our own health & that of others
but avoid the cult of the body &
every kind of excess.
Also to be avoided are drugs….
as well as abuse of food,
alcohol,
tobacco &
medicine.”

18. 475. When are scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on
human individuals or groups morally legitimate?
• Experiments on humans “are
morally legitimate when they
are at the service of the integral
good of the person & society,
without disproportionate risks
to…the subjects who must be
properly informed &
consenting.”

19. Willowbrook was an institution for people with
intellectual disabilities. Institutionalized abuse of
Willowbrook residents included deliberate inoculation
with Hepatitis. Rather than 1930s Nazi Germany, this
happened from the mid 1950s till the early 1970s in New
York City's Staten Island - one hour's drive from Lower
Bucks County! “in January 1972, Geraldo Rivera, the
television reporter, began a
series of programs that shook
the conscience of New York
State and the nation and
inspired parents and others to
take legal action“
(http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/archives/Will
owbrookRG.htm)

20. 476. Are the transplant and donation
of organs allowed before and after
death?
• “Before allowing the
noble act of organ
donation after death,
one must verify that the
donor is truly dead.”
There is an horrific black
market for human organs
and body parts!

21. 477. What practices are contrary
to respect for the bodily integrity
of the human person?
• Contrary to
respect for
bodily
integrity of
the person are
“kidnapping &
hostage
taking,
terrorism,
torture,
violence….
[The Vatican,
January 17, 2019]

22. 477. What practices are contrary to respect for the bodily integrity of
the human person? [continued]
“A person can mutilate his or her
genitals, but cannot change his or her
sex. Changing one’s sex is fundamentally
impossible; these procedures are
fundamentally acts of mutilation….
“Doing violence to one’s body when
there is nothing wrong with it is an
unjustifiable mutilation. Furthermore,
seeking such a mutilation manifests a
self-hatred inconsistent with the charity
we owe to ourselves. Persons seeking
such operations are clearly
uncomfortable with who they really are.
Loving such persons properly demands
addressing the beliefs and self-
understanding that give rise to this
fundamental rejection of self” (National
Catholic Bioethics Center).
• and direct
sterilization….
Amputations &
mutilations…are
morally permissable
only for strictly
therapeutic medical
reasons.”

23. 478. What care must be given to the dying?
• “The dying have a right…above all, to be
sustained with prayer and the
sacraments”
479. How are the bodies of the deceased to be treated?
• “The bodies of the departed must be
treated with love & respect.”

24. 480. What does the Lord ask of
every person in regard to peace?
• “The Lord….called for
peace of heart &
denounced the immorality
of anger which is a desire
for revenge….[and] hatred.
These attitudes, if
voluntary & consented to in
matters of great
importance, are mortal sins
against charity.”
482. What is required for earthly
peace?
• “Earthly peace requires the
equal distribution &
safeguarding of the goods
of persons,
free communication…,
respect for the dignity of
persons & peoples, &
the assiduous practice of
justice & fraternity.”
481. What is peace in this world?
• “Peace…is not simply the
absence of war or a
balance of power….Earthly
peace is the image & fruit
of the peace of Christ.”

25. 483. When is it morally
permitted to use military force?
• “The use of military force is
morally justified when the
following conditions are
simultaneously present:
- the suffering inflicted by
the aggressor must be
lasting, grave & certain;
- all other peaceful means
must have been shown to
be ineffective;
- there are well founded
prospects of success;
- the use of arms, especially
given the power of
modern weapons of mass
destruction, must not
produce evils graver than
the evil to be eliminated.”
484. In danger of war, who has
the responsibility for the rigorous
evaluation of these conditions?
• The responsibility for
“rigorous evaluation of
these conditions” belongs
to the prudential judgment
of government officials.
485. In case of war, what does the
moral law require?
• “Even during a war the moral
law remains valid….blind
obedience does not excuse”

26. 486. What must be done to avoid war?
• “we must do everything reasonably
possible to avoid [war, such as
avoiding]….
the accumulation & sale of arms which
are not regulated by the legitimate
authorities;
all forms of economic & social injustice;
ethnic & religious discrimination;
envy, mistrust, pride &
the spirit of revenge”

27. THE SIXTH
COMMANDMENT:
YOU SHALL NOT
COMMIT
ADULTERY

28. 487. What responsibility do human persons have in regard to their
own sexual identity?
• “God has created human beings as
male and female, equal in
personal dignity, and has called
them to a vocation of love and of
communion. Everyone should
accept his or her identity as male
or female, recognizing its
importance for the whole of the
person, its specificity and
complementarity.”

29. 488. What is chastity?
• “Chastity means the positive
integration of sexuality within
the person. Sexuality becomes
truly human when it is integrated
in a correct way into the
relationship of one person to
another. Chastity is a moral
virtue, a gift of God, a grace, and
a fruit of the Holy Spirit.”

30. “Positive Integration of Sexuality Within
the Person”
After the so-called "Sexual Revolution" of the 1960s,
indications are that
– men and women became more likely to engage in
sexual intercourse, outside of marriage;
– people became less likely to marry, but far more likely
to "live together" & far more likely to divorce;
– abortion rates & out of wedlock births skyrocketed;
– children became far less likely to live with their
biological moms and dads.
– Few seem to be noticing, but there are almost 50 times
more new STD infections each year, than overall STD
infections just before the “Sexual Revolution.”

31. As per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 404,405 cases of STDs
were reported by state health departments in 1963
(http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/STD/OSTD3202/Table_1.html).

32. As per the CDC’s numbers, there are now
almost 50 Xs more new STD infections
each year, than there were overall STD
infections in 1963:

33. 489. What is involved in the
virtue of chastity?
• “The virtue of chastity
involves an
apprenticeship in self-
mastery as an
expression of human
freedom directed
towards self-giving. An
integral and
continuing formation,
which is brought
about in stages, is
necessary to achieve
this goal.”
490. What are the means that
aid the living of chastity?
• “There are many
means …:
the grace of God,
The…sacraments,
prayer,
self-knowledge,
…asceticism…,
…the moral
virtues,
especially…
temperance…”

34. 491. In what way is everyone called to live chastity?
• “all the baptised are called to live
chastely in keeping with their
particular states of life.
Some profess virginity or consecrated
celibacy….
if they are married live in conjugal
chastity, or
if unmarried practise chastity in
continence.”

35. 492. What are the principal sins against chastity?
“These kinds of acts committed against…
minors become even more grave.”
• “the principal sins against chastity.”

36. 493. Although it says only “you shall not commit adultery” why
does the sixth commandment forbid all sins against chastity?
• “Although the biblical text…reads
‘you shall not commit adultery’
(Exodus 20:14), …the Church
comprehensively follows the moral
teachings of the Old and New
Testaments and considers the sixth
commandment as encompassing
all sins against chastity.”

37. 494. What is the responsibility of civil authority in regard to
chastity?
•“civic authority should seek
an environment conducive
to the practice of chastity.…
especially in order to protect
minors & those who are the
weakest members of
society.”

38. 495. What are the goods of
conjugal love to which sexuality
is ordered?
• “The goods of conjugal
love, which for those
who are baptized is
sanctified by the
sacrament of
Matrimony are
unity,
fidelity,
indissolubility &
an openness to…
procreation”
496. What is the meaning of the
conjugal act?
• “The conjugal act
has a twofold
meaning:
unitive…and
procreative….
No one may break
the inseparable
connection which
God has estab-
lished between
these two”

39. 497. When is it moral to regulate
births?
• “The regulation of births,
which is an aspect of
responsible fatherhood &
motherhood, is objectively
morally acceptable when it
is pursued by the spouses
without external pressure;
when it is practiced not out
of selfishness but for
serious reasons; & with
methods that conform to
the objective criteria of
morality, that is, periodic
continence and use of the
infertile periods.”
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40. 498. What are immoral means of birth control?
• “Every action – for example, direct
sterilization or contraception – is
intrinsically immoral which (either in
anticipation of the conjugal act, in its
accomplishment or in the
development of its natural
consequences) proposes, as an end
or as a means, to hinder
procreation.”

41. 499. Why are artificial insemination and artificial fertilization
immoral?
• Artificial insemination & artificial
fertilization “are immoral because they
dislocate procreation” from the unitive,
conjugal act.
“Furthermore, …techniques which involve a
person other than the married couple
infringe upon the right of a child to be
born of a father & mother known to him,
bound …by marriage & having the
exclusive right to become parents only
through” one another.

42. • As per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
"Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)....primarily includes the
technique of in vitro fertilization (IVF)....ART alone now accounts
for 1.5 percent of all births in the United States.“
• For 2017, the Pa Dept of Health reports a total of 47,660 births in
Bucks (5778), Chester (5326), Delaware (6578), Montgomery
(8696), and Philadelphia (21,282) Counties.
• Applying the 1.5% rate would lead to a guess that 715 of the
47,660 births in the 5 counties of the Archdiocese were associated
with ART/IVF.
• As about 30 embryos are created for each successful birth, it can
be guessed that 21,450 embryos were created in the 5 counties of
the Archdiocese “with many lost, discarded or destroyed by
research. Some…lives are still on ice waiting for a chance to finish
their lives. Many will die waiting” (cf, LifeNews.com, 7/25/12).

43. 500. How should children be considered?
• “A child is a gift of God, the supreme
gift of marriage. There is no such
thing as a right to have children (e.g.
‘a child at any cost’). But a child does
have the right to be the fruit of the
conjugal act of its parents as well as
the right to be respected as a person
from the moment of conception.”

44. 501. What can spouses do when they do not have children?
• “after exhausting all legitimate
medical options, [childless]
spouses can show their
generosity by… foster care or
adoption or… meaningful
service.…
In this way they realize a
precious spiritual fruitfulness.”

45. 502. What are the offenses against the dignity of marriage?