Catholic bioethics from Pius XI to Pope Francis I

O’Leary, Don

Catholic bioethics from Pius XI to Pope Francis I

Files

Vol_III_Rollo-Koster_9781108493772_C016 (2).pdf(380.37 KB)

Published Version

Date

2025-02-28

Authors

O’Leary, Don

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Version

10.1017/9781108662994.020

Abstract

The papacy played a central role in the development of Roman Catholic teaching about bioethics. Pope Pius XI’s Casti connubii (1930) condemned contraception, sterilization, and abortion. Papal teaching was broadly accepted by Catholics before the 1960s. Widespread dissent in the Church greatly increased after the publication of Pope Paul VI’s Humanae vitae (1968). The first successful IVF procedure in 1978 raised new bioethical issues relating to the status of human embryos outside the womb. The Catholic hierarchy was more successful in lobbying politicians to enact restrictive laws, or obstruct liberal reforms, than in persuading the laity to accept its teaching on birth control and assisted human reproduction. A rift emerged between mainstream Catholic culture and the institutional Church. The Church is now circumscribed in meeting the challenges presented by complex ethical issues, such as surrogacy and assisted dying, because of the papacy’s inflexible stance on these matters.

Keywords

Abortion , Assisted dying , Casti connubii , Contraception , Humanae vitae , IVF

Citation

O’Leary D. (2025) 'Catholic bioethics from Pius XI to Pope Francis I', in Rollo-Koster, J., Ventresca, R. A., Eichbauer, M. H. and Pattenden, M. (eds.) The Cambridge History of the Papacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 455-485. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108662994.020