According to Pope Benedict XVI the essential concept that allows defining the contemporary world is the idea of progress. It gains a special significance in the context of the great development of technological possibilities of contemporary medicine. This gives rise to a temptation to improve, or even to technologically perfect the human nature, that is present under the auspices of eugenic behaviors. The teaching of the Church remarks that all genuine progress in this area should be supported, on condition that science will always respect human rights and dignity from the moment of the man’s conception. Nobody may claim the right to destroy human life or manipulate it with impunity.
