Infertility is a heavy cross, and the Church treats it with great tenderness. She calls the suffering of couples who discover they are sterile "great" and supports research that aims to reduce it (CCC 2374-2375). She also asks that the means of diagnosis and treatment respect the dignity of the spouses and of the marital act. This lesson looks at testing, a step that comes before any treatment.
What the Church teaches about procreation
The Church teaches that a child should be the fruit of the marital act, and that techniques which separate procreation from the conjugal act are not morally acceptable (CCC 2376-2377; Donum Vitae II.B). At the same time, Dignitas Personae explains that techniques which aim to remove obstacles to natural fertilization, or which help the marital act achieve its natural result, are licit (Dignitas Personae 12-13). Diagnosis is a natural first step toward that kind of help.
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Sources
- Donum Vitae II.B Donum Vitae (CDF, 1987), interventions upon human procreation
- Dignitas Personae 12-13 Dignitas Personae (CDF, 2008), treatments for infertility
- CCC 2374-2379 Catechism of the Catholic Church, The gift of a child
- CCC 2352 Catechism of the Catholic Church, Masturbation