Dr Dominique Beaufils

This article by Dr. Dominique Beaufils, an Orthodox physician and theologian, examines the question of the human dignity of persons with mental disabilities. Drawn from a paper presented at the European Colloquium of Noirlac (1996), it articulates a dual approach, both clinical and theological, in response to a fundamental question: can mental disability deprive a being of its nature as a human person? The author demonstrates that neither genetics nor any scientific discipline can define a boundary between the human and the non-human, and that the genome of a person with mental disability remains a human genome. From an Orthodox theological standpoint, he affirms the ontological unity of soul and body from the moment of fertilization, the uniqueness of each person created in the image of God, and the mysterious dimension of disability within the economy of salvation. The article thus offers a theologically grounded critique of contemporary eugenic tendencies, while proposing an ethics of love and discernment.

This article by Dr Dominique Beaufils, a physician, offers an Orthodox theological reflection on medically assisted reproduction (MAR), particularly on in vitro fertilization (IVF). Taking both a medical and spiritual approach, the author examines the various MAR techniques in the light of the Orthodox faith, distinguishing between those that may be tolerated through economy and those that are absolutely incompatible with this faith. The central idea is that human life begins at fertilization and possesses an inalienable dignity, which leads to the rejection of any technique involving supernumerary embryos, multiple implantations, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or the use of donors outside the couple. The theological contribution of the article lies in the articulation between the Orthodox conception of marriage as a Trinitarian union, the notion of divine economy, and the rejection of a "right to a child" that would instrumentalize human life, while acknowledging human weakness in the face of the trial of infertility.

This article by Dr Dominique Beaufils examines the ethical problems raised by the interaction between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and genetic research. Adopting both a medical and theological approach, the author sets out the technical realities of IVF that are often poorly understood — embryo reduction, supernumerary embryos, embryo transfer — before analyzing the issues surrounding genetic research applied to the human embryo: eugenics, gene therapy, sex determination. The central idea is that medical research, in pursuing the good of humanity in general, risks sacrificing individual human lives. The theological contribution lies in the orthodox affirmation that human life begins at fertilization and that each being constitutes a unique person, the object of divine love. The article invites the Church to formulate a clear position, neither authoritarian nor complacent, by discerning a path where science remains compatible with evangelical teaching.