The Role of Identity and Fulfillment in the Desire to Procreate

​The Role of Identity
and Self-fulfillment
in the Desire to Procreate

By GUIRIBA Marco

Poll

In the future...

• I will marry

• I will stay single for the rest of my life

• I do not yet know if I will marry or stay single forever

• since i am a member of the LGBTQ,, my choice to have a partner is a complicated issue

Poll

In the future

• I will have my own child/ren

• I will never have my own child/ren

Multiple Choice

Is it a sin to use contraceptives?

• No

• Yes

Multiple Choice

Is it a sin to abort an unborn child?

• No

• Yes

Multiple Choice

Does the Catholic Church teach that abortion and use of contraceptives are immoral?

• No

• Yes

Multiple Choice

Is it also a sin to bring a child to this world and let him suffer extreme poverty due to lack of family planning?

• Yes

• No

The desire to procreate is
both a gift, and
a responsibility

as a gift, the desire to procreate is good. It comes from God. It is built in our nature for the perpetuity of humanity.

as a responsibility, one's desire to procreate must be guided by proper use of freedom

Open Ended

What is freedom?

Our desire to procreate comes from our instinct but we do not act on it only by our instinct. Our responsible use of freedom is what distinguishes us from lower forms of animals.

Our identity and self-fulfillment play an important role in our desire to procreate. They shape our freedom on how we act on our desire to procreate.

Our identity spell our actions.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen 1:27).

Self-fulfillment determines life meaning
"man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself"
Gaudium et Spes 24

This nun is living a meaningful life by offering her life to the service of the deaf and mute

True procreation springs from identity and fulfillment, not pressure or insecurity.

Each person is called to be a life-giver in family, community, and

society.


Go and live a meaningful life!

Identity: We are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27)

Fulfillment: Living a life of purpose, joy, and meaning (GS 24)

Desire to Procreate: The longing to give life—through raising children, also through service

Christ-Centered Perspective: Procreation is not only biological; it is also spiritual (nurturing, mentoring, creating).