Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Catholicism(s) in the US

Abstract

Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) have proposed a new way of understandingnotions of sexuality, reproduction, gestation, and family, and these transformations have arguably been a challenge in the religious field. This study aims to analyze the stances taken within the Catholic spectrum in the United States on ARTs.Catholicism in the United States is an internally heterogeneous space, and different agents have taken diverse stances on ARTs, with an impact on health care regulations, Catholic facilities administrations, and Catholics and non-Catholics reproductive rights. Drawing from a qualitative, interpretive, and documentary analysis of three organizations (the US Conference of catholic bishops, the Catholic Health Organization, and Catholics for Choice), this article proposes some guidelines to analyze and understand the arguments and strategies of various Catholics actors in the United States regarding reproductive healthcare and ARTs in the United States.