Non-sterilizing Hysterectomies? A Catholic Critique of the CDF.
Publication/Presentation Date
5-1-2020
Abstract
UNLABELLED: In 2019, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a statement that a woman could morally undergo a hysterectomy to avoid serial miscarriages if her uterus were incapable of sustaining a child until viability because the procedure would not constitute a direct sterilization. We believe the CDF's conclusion and line of argumentation are both mistaken. Since the proposed hysterectomy seeks to make impossible what is presently possible-conceiving a child-it must therefore constitute a direct sterilization, which the Church has long taught is immoral. Using the Principle of Totality, we offer and defend a more straightforward interpretation of the case, arguing that while the woman's condition is both tragic and chronic, spiritual counseling and training in natural family planning should be recommended, as a hysterectomy is not medically indicated in this case.
SUMMARY: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)'s recently issued a statement claiming that a woman could morally undergo a hysterectomy to avoid serial miscarriages if her uterus were incapable of sustaining a child until viability on the grounds that the procedure would not constitute a direct sterilization. We argue this is mistaken, and that the procedure would constitute a direct sterilization.
Volume
87
Issue
2
First Page
182
Last Page
195
ISSN
0024-3639
Published In/Presented At
Schulz, J., & Hamant, W. (2020). Non-sterilizing Hysterectomies? A Catholic Critique of the CDF. The Linacre quarterly, 87(2), 182–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363920908367
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
32549635
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article