{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T12:06:21Z","timestamp":1777896381019,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,20]],"date-time":"2022-05-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1653004800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Linacre Q"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Humanae Vitae taught that sexual relations must respect both the procreative and unitive meanings of the marital act. Most Catholic ethical analysis of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has focused on whether the procedure assists or replaces the conjugal act. This paper proposes that such an approach is missing an essential element\u2014namely, whether the procedure respects the unitive meaning of the conjugal act. Pope John Paul II\u2019s \u201ctheology of the body\u201d provides principles for understanding the unitive meaning. In this light the conjugal act, which is a union of persons, is characterized by respect for the personalist norm, total mutual self-gift, the freedom of the gift, spousal exclusivity, and the spousal communio personarum. In addition to considering the procreative meaning, the moral evaluation of ART should also consider whether the unitive meaning of the conjugal act is respected. When viewed within this framework, certain kinds of ART that are considered morally licit by some ethicists may be impermissible because, or to the extent that, they violate the unitive meaning of the conjugal act.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00243639221101839","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,20]],"date-time":"2022-05-20T15:53:20Z","timestamp":1653062000000},"page":"404-419","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Unitive Meaning of the Conjugal Act in Evaluating Assisted Reproductive Technologies"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"89","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6030-8304","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wendy","family":"Laurento","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Catholic Medical Association, Fort Washington, PA, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Guide for Patients","author":"American Society for Reproductive Medicine","year":"2018"},{"key":"bibr2-00243639221101839","volume-title":"The Conjugal Act as a Personal Act: A Study of the Catholic Concept of the Conjugal Act in the Light of Christian Anthropology","author":"Asci Donald P.","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr4-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Human Dignity and Reproductive Technology","author":"Bozza Steven","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr6-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00243639.1988.11877935"},{"key":"bibr7-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5840\/em19962111"},{"key":"bibr8-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Chap. 8 Catholic Health Care Ethics: A Manual for Practitioners","author":"Cataldo Peter","year":"2009","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr9-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Instruction Donum vitae on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation","author":"Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)","year":"1987"},{"key":"bibr10-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Instruction Dignitas personae on Certain Bioethical Questions","author":"Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)","year":"2008"},{"key":"bibr11-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Chap. 11 in Personalist Papers","author":"Crosby John F.","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr12-00243639221101839","first-page":"195","volume-title":"Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader","author":"Crosby John F.","year":"1993"},{"key":"bibr13-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Biotechnology and the Assault on Parenthood","author":"De Marco Donald","year":"1991"},{"key":"bibr14-00243639221101839","unstructured":"Dern Charles D. (2004). \u201cThe \u2018Rival\u2019 Personalisms of Louis Janssens and Karol Wojtyla\/Pope John Paul II: A Critical Analysis with Respect to Vitro Fertilization and the Nexus Indissolubilis.\u201d PhD dissertion, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC."},{"key":"bibr15-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/20508549.2000.11877583"},{"key":"bibr16-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5840\/em20103559"},{"issue":"9","key":"bibr20-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.5840\/em199318917","volume":"18","author":"Haas John M.","year":"1993","journal-title":"Ethics & Medics"},{"key":"bibr21-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Encyclical Evangelium vitae on the Gospel of Life","author":"John Paul Pope","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr22-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Apostolic Letter Mulieris dignitatem on the Dignity and Vocation of Women","author":"John Paul Pope","year":"1988"},{"key":"bibr23-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body","author":"John Paul II, Pope","year":"1979"},{"key":"bibr200-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio on the Role of the Cheistian Family in the Modern World","author":"John Paul II Pope","year":"1981"},{"key":"bibr25-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Reproductive Technologies, Marriage and the Church","volume":"107","author":"May William E.","year":"1988"},{"key":"bibr26-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Chap. 3 in Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life","author":"May William E.","year":"2008","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr27-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5840\/em199318918"},{"key":"bibr29-00243639221101839","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5840\/em2009341222"},{"key":"bibr30-00243639221101839","first-page":"3","volume":"34","author":"Napier Stephen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Ethics & Medics"},{"issue":"7","key":"bibr31-00243639221101839","first-page":"3","volume":"24","author":"Napier Stephen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Ethics & Medics"},{"key":"bibr32-00243639221101839","volume-title":"About Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)","author":"National Infertility Association","year":"2022"},{"key":"bibr33-00243639221101839","first-page":"533","volume-title":"Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader","author":"Paul VI, Pope","year":"1968"},{"key":"bibr34-00243639221101839","volume-title":"Proceedings of the 10th Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life","author":"Peterson P.","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr35-00243639221101839","first-page":"146","volume-title":"Reproductive Technologies, Marriage and the Church","author":"Quesnell John G.","year":"1988"},{"key":"bibr36-00243639221101839","author":"Richards Sarah Elizabeth","year":"2010","journal-title":"Slate"},{"key":"bibr37-00243639221101839","unstructured":"Second Vatican Council. 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