It would have lost its way if it did. At the heart of what it teaches is, of course, a message of salvation from moral disorder. In this short talk I've focused on those truths, of particular relevance to the practice of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, which the Church teaches about human destiny, about the great dignity which therefore belongs to every human being, about the vocation and dignity of marriage and the requirements attaching to the commitment of marriage, and about what is required to respect the dignity and foster the good of every child. The Church is happy to see any biomedical and clinical developments which are consistent with respect for the dignity of the unborn human being, are consistent with respect for the institution of marriage on which the good of children depends, and which serve to sustain rather than sever the vulnerable bonds of dependence on which each new generation depends. I recognise that this moral vision will seem not merely alien but inherently incredible to those of a secularist mind-set, for whom God does not exist or, if he does, has no concern with human affairs.
Human beings are the chance product of an evolutionary process lacking inherent purpose.
They therefore lack any distinctive worth or dignity just in virtue of being human. Value is a function of the human will. So it is only those who have developed abilities for understanding and choice who are in a position to endow their lives with the values they wish to attach to them. If a woman, on whom the life of an unborn child depends, wishes to terminate that life, there is nothing in the moral status of the child which could stand in her way. If people choose to find valuable any form of sexual activity, medicine can be coopted to clear up the undesired consequences.