Monday, September 23, 2013

Pope Francis And Biolaw

In a remarkable statement published by the Catholic News Service on September 19, 2013, the Catholic Pope, Francis, stated that
We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods...It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time...The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent...The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.
These sentiments caused excitement in the press around the world.  Many interpretations of their meaning and intent have been offered.  However, one of the most interesting aspects of Francis' statement is that its subject matter centers on key facets of biolaw:  rights to pair bond, reproduce, or not reproduce.  While particular stances on these issues engender wide - sometimes even wild - differences of opinion and conscience, there is almost universal agreement that they are, indeed, important issues.