Vatican Opposes Sex Change Operations, Surrogacy
2024-04-09
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The Roman Catholic Church has declared its opposition to sex change operations and surrogacy.
2The Vatican said those activities violate human dignity.
3It compared them to abortion and euthanasia, saying they reject God's plan for human life.
4The Vatican issued a 20-page declaration called Infinite Dignity.
5The document took five years to produce.
6It came four months after conservatives reacted to Pope Francis's support for same-sex partners.
7Supporters of "gender theory" say that gender is more complex than male and female.
8They say a person's sex depends on more than sexual qualities that can be seen.
9In the document, the Vatican repeats its rejection of "gender theory," or the idea that a person's gender can be changed.
10It says God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not change that plan or try to "make oneself God."
11"It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception," the document says.
12It notes the difference between gender-changing surgeries, which it rejects, and medical operations to correct "genital abnormalities" that are present at birth or that develop later.
13It says, "Such a medical procedure would not constitute a sex change..."
14Supporters for LGBTQ+ Catholics criticized the document as outdated and harmful.
15They warned it could lead to violence and discrimination against transgendered people.
16In the United States, Republican-led legislatures are considering bills to restrict sex change operations on children.
17Francis DeBernardo is with the New Ways Ministry, which supports LGBTQ+ Catholics.
18He said as the document talks about respect, honor and love for human life, "it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people."
19The Vatican also declared opposition to surrogacy, the practice of implanting a fertilized egg in a woman to carry a fetus for someone else usually for money.
20The document calls the practice "deplorable," saying it violates "the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs."
21It quotes Pope Francis as saying, "A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract.
22Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally."
23The document restates the well-known Catholic position in opposing to abortion, a medical operation to end a pregnancy, and assisted suicide or euthanasia.
24Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez said in a statement that Pope Francis approved the document after requesting that it also include "poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, war, and other themes."
25I'm Mario Ritter, Jr
1The Roman Catholic Church has declared its opposition to sex change operations and surrogacy. The Vatican said those activities violate human dignity. It compared them to abortion and euthanasia, saying they reject God's plan for human life. 2The Vatican issued a 20-page declaration called Infinite Dignity. The document took five years to produce. It came four months after conservatives reacted to Pope Francis's support for same-sex partners. 3Sex change 4Supporters of "gender theory" say that gender is more complex than male and female. They say a person's sex depends on more than sexual qualities that can be seen. In the document, the Vatican repeats its rejection of "gender theory," or the idea that a person's gender can be changed. 5It says God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not change that plan or try to "make oneself God." 6"It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception," the document says. 7It notes the difference between gender-changing surgeries, which it rejects, and medical operations to correct "genital abnormalities" that are present at birth or that develop later. It says, "Such a medical procedure would not constitute a sex change..." 8Supporters for LGBTQ+ Catholics criticized the document as outdated and harmful. They warned it could lead to violence and discrimination against transgendered people. 9In the United States, Republican-led legislatures are considering bills to restrict sex change operations on children. 10Francis DeBernardo is with the New Ways Ministry, which supports LGBTQ+ Catholics. He said as the document talks about respect, honor and love for human life, "it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people." 11Surrogacy 12The Vatican also declared opposition to surrogacy, the practice of implanting a fertilized egg in a woman to carry a fetus for someone else usually for money. 13The document calls the practice "deplorable," saying it violates "the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs." 14It quotes Pope Francis as saying, "A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally." 15The document restates the well-known Catholic position in opposing to abortion, a medical operation to end a pregnancy, and assisted suicide or euthanasia. 16Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez said in a statement that Pope Francis approved the document after requesting that it also include "poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, war, and other themes." 17I'm Mario Ritter, Jr 18Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press, Reuters and Vatican sources. 19_______________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21surrogacy -n. when a woman is implanted with a fertilized egg so she can have a baby for a couple usually in exchange for money 22dignity -n. the condition of being valued or considered worthy 23gender -n. the state of being either man or woman 24surgery -n. a medical operation 25principle -n. an important belief 26exploitation -n. using people for a purpose that is not in their interest 27commercial -adj. related to business and making a profit 28prohibit -v. to ban