392. The right to bodily integrity

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 392

Ave Maria series

What sorts of acts violate the human right to bodily integrity?

This right is violated by the use of violence, kidnapping and hostage taking, terrorism, torture, rape, and forced sterilization as well as by amputation and mutilation.  [2297-2298]

Alabama State Troopers Attack John Lewis at the Edmund Pettis Bridge, March 7, 1965.  Lewis went on to be elected to the U.S. Congress representing Georgia’s 5^thDistrict.….. 392

These fundamental violations against justice, charity, and human dignity are not justified even when they are backed by government authority.  Conscious of the historical guilt of Christians as well, the Church today fights against all use of physical or psychological force, especially against torture.

“Christians have often denied the Gospel; yielding to a mentality of power, they have violated the rights of ethnic groups and peoples and shown contempt for their cultures and religious traditions: be patient and merciful towards us (O Lord), and grant us your forgiveness!” – St. John Paul I I (1920-2005), Prayer for Forgiveness in the Jubilee Year 2000

[2297-2298]

Respect for bodily integrity

2297 Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds, and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity. Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law. (Compare Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3722.)⁹¹–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

2298 In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights of the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors. –CCC

People   Selma Alabama State Troopers