I think it’s an important distinction. If you violate the dignity of a marriage, it’s not the same as the dignity of the people that are joined in the marriage. People have inherent dignity, marriage isn’t a person. Marriages can be annulled, people can not.
If you claim people’s divinity is violated by the act then the violation should increase with each infraction, this would mean that a persons dignity would lesson exponentially. That would mean that you could sin yourself out of dignity. Can’t happen. It’s inherent.
Even though people may choose to pursue IVF which is sinful by the teaching of the Church it doesn’t decrease their inherent value.
I also agree that the distinction is important. Dignity violations do not lessen one’s dignity.
It is not incorrect to say that sin violates a person’s dignity. At the same time, as you said, you cannot sin yourself out of dignity.
Let’s take a look at the definition of violate again:
: to do something that is not allowed by (a law, rule, etc.)
: to take away, interfere with, or ignore (something, such as a person’s rights or privacy) in an unfair or illegal way
: to abuse or show disrespect for (something, such as a holy place) usually by damaging it
Let’s look at each definition one by one. In this case, “violating a person’s dignity” is
- to do something that is not allowed by the natural law
- Ignoring the person’s dignity in an unfair way
- And showing disrespect for the person’s dignity
Notice how there are critical conjugations such as “OR” and “USUALLY” within each definition.
Therefore, it is correct English to say that IVF and/or other sins violate person(s) dignity.
Let’s look at some other examples of how this definition of violate is used:
From
this article here:
Because basic to the Catholic Church’s stance against torture and/or the abuse of prisoners is the belief that such practices violate a persons God-given dignity. In fact, some say that torture violates the human dignity, not only of the person who is tortured, but of those who impose the torture.
Or
this post from “The Art of NFP.”
In vitro fertilization violates the dignity of husband, wife and child: each is manipulated; their bodies are treated as sources of biological material (much like vending machines).
The word violate in these examples is used synonymously with “does injury” as in the cases in these examples from the
Catechism.
In regards to pornography:
It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.
In regards to prostitution:
Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I apologize to anyone who mistook my use of the word violate to mean “take away” but as we have learned from reviewing the definition of violate, it can also alternatively mean “to ignore.”
So therefore, I will continue to stand with the Church’s stance that IVF violates the husband, wife, and children’s dignity.
Lord, have mercy on us for we know not what we do.