The Dignity of the Person: An Overview and Commentary on Dignitas personae

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Abstract

. This article provides a detailed overview and critical commentary on the Instruction Dignitas personae from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a document that updates Donum vitae . First, it situates the Instruction in the context of modern society’s reliance on biotechnology to overcome infertility, while also examining technology’s wider impact on human persons—for example, on their relationship with God. It then examines the teaching of the document while at the same time offering critical comments on it, pointing out both strengths and weaknesses in, for example, its treatment of the issue of human embryo adoption. It concludes with some general comments on how the Instruction will influence­Catholic­bioethics­in­both­theory­and­practice.­Throughout­the­article,­ it is often noted how Dignitas personae compares with its predecessor, Donum