New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity

By Andrea Tornielli

Three chapters lay the foundations for the fourth, devoted to “some serious violations of human dignity”.

This is the structure of the new Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “Dignitas infinita”, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirms “the indispensable character of the dignity of the human person in Christian anthropology” (Intro.)

The main novelty of the document, the fruit of five years of work, is the inclusion of a certain number of key themes from the recent papal magisterium which accompany those of bioethics. In the proposed “non-exhaustive” list, abortion, euthanasia and surrogacy are among the violations of human dignity, along with war, poverty and human trafficking.

The new text thus contributes to overcoming the dichotomy that exists between those who focus exclusively on questions of the beginning and end of life, forgetting so many other attacks on human dignity, and, conversely, those who concentrate only on the defense of the poor and the poor. migrants, forgetting that life must be defended from its conception to its natural conclusion.

Fundamental principles

The first three parts of the Declaration recall fundamental principles.

“In the light of Revelation, the Church reaffirms and resolutely confirms” the “ontological dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed in Jesus Christ” (1).

It is an “inalienable dignity”, corresponding to “human nature outside of any cultural change”(6), a “gift” and therefore present in “an unborn child, an unconscious person or an elderly person in distress (9).

“The Church proclaims the equal dignity of all, whatever their conditions of life or their qualities” (17), and it does so on the basis of biblical revelation: women and men are created in the image of God.

Christ, by becoming incarnate, “confirmed the dignity of the body and the soul” (19), and, in his appearance, revealed to us that the dignity of man rests “above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God” (20).

The dignity of each person

The document highlights the misunderstandings of those who prefer the expression “personal dignity” to “human dignity”, “since they understand that a person is only 'one who is capable of reasoning'” (24).

Thus, according to them, “the unborn child would have no personal dignity, any more than the elderly person who depends on others, nor an individual suffering from a mental disability. On the contrary, the Church insists that the dignity of every human person, precisely because it is intrinsic, remains in all circumstances” (24).

Furthermore, the document highlights that “the concept of human dignity is also sometimes misused to justify an arbitrary proliferation of new rights… as if the ability to express and realize every individual preference or subjective desire should be guaranteed.” (25).

The list of violations

The Declaration then presents the list of “some serious violations of human dignity”.

This includes “all attacks on life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and voluntary suicide” must be recognized as contrary to human dignity”, but also “all attacks to the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, physical and mental torture, undue psychological pressure.

And finally, it includes “all attacks on human dignity, such as inhumane living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, sale of women and children, working conditions degrading where individuals are treated as simple tools of profit rather than as free tools. and those responsible.

The death penalty is also cited, because it “undermines the inalienable dignity of every person, whatever the circumstances” (34).

Poverty, war and human trafficking

The first problem mentioned is poverty, “one of the greatest injustices in the contemporary world” (36).

Then there is war, “another tragedy which denies human dignity”, and always a “defeat of humanity” (38), to the point that “it is very difficult today to invoke the criteria rationale developed in previous centuries to speak of the possibility of a “just war”” (39).

The Declaration also mentions the “work of migrants”, whose “lives are put in danger because they no longer have the means to found a family, to work or to feed themselves” (40).

The document then focuses on “trafficking in human beings”, which takes on “tragic dimensions” and is described as “a despicable activity, a shame for our societies which claim to be civilized”. The Declaration calls “exploiters and clients” to a serious examination of conscience (41).

Likewise, it calls for combating phenomena such as “the commercialization of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labor, including prostitution, drug trafficking and weapons, terrorism and international organized crime” (42). .

The document also mentions sexual abuse, which leaves “deep scars in the hearts of those who suffer it”: it is “suffering that can last a lifetime and which no amount of repentance can remedy” (43).
Discrimination and violence against women are then addressed. These include “forced abortions, which affect both mother and child, often to satisfy men's selfishness” and “the practice of polygamy” (45). Femicide is also condemned (46).

Abortion and surrogacy

The condemnation of abortion is strong: “Among all the crimes that can be committed against life, induced abortion presents characteristics which make it particularly serious and deplorable”, and reference is made to the fact that “the defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of unborn life.” of each person and of all other human rights” (47).

The Declaration's rejection of surrogacy, whereby “the immensely worthy child becomes a mere object”, is also strong. This is a practice that “represents a serious violation of the dignity of women and children… A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract.” (48)

The list goes on to mention euthanasia and assisted suicide, confusingly defined by some laws as “dying with dignity.” The document emphasizes that “suffering does not cause the patient to lose his dignity, which is intrinsically and inalienably his own” (51).

The Declaration then speaks of the importance of palliative care and the avoidance of “aggressive treatments or disproportionate medical procedures,” reaffirming that “life is a right, not death, which must be welcomed and not administered” (52 ).

Another serious violation of human dignity is the marginalization of people with disabilities (53).

Gender theory

The document begins the section devoted to this subject by emphasizing that “any sign of unjust discrimination” against homosexual people “must be carefully avoided, in particular any form of aggression and violence.”

It is “contrary to human dignity,” the Declaration asserts, that in some places “many people are “imprisoned, tortured and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation” (55).

Gender theory, “extremely dangerous since it cancels out differences in its claim to make all equal,” is then criticized (56).

The Church, we read, recalls that “human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God. This gift must be received with gratitude and put to the service of good. Desiring personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes…is tantamount to a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God” (57).

Gender theory “intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference” (58).

Therefore, “all attempts to obscure the reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman” must “be rejected” (59).

Sex change is also judged negatively because it “risks threatening the unique dignity that the person has received from the moment of conception”. This does not, however, mean excluding the possibility that “a person with genital abnormalities already evident at birth or that develop later may choose to receive assistance from health professionals to resolve these abnormalities” (60).

Digital violence

The last item on the list is “digital violence.” “New forms of violence are spreading through social networks”, we read, such as cyberharassment, and “The Internet is also a channel for the dissemination of pornography and the exploitation of people for sexual purposes or through gambling” (61).

The Declaration ends by insisting that “respect for the dignity of the human person, in all circumstances, be placed at the center of the commitment to the common good and at the center of any legal system” (64).