Semen analysis

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Zenkai

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I am in college and I am probably going to become a medical laboratory scientist. One of the things they do is analyze body fluids, including semen. So I was wondering if it is a sin to analyze/test semen. The semen, in most cases, is probably gathered in a sinful way.

Is there any Church teaching on whether or not it is sinful for a scientist to test semen samples?
 
What would be the purpose of the analysis and the collection of the semen in the first place?
 
It’s something that a scientist is expected to analyze in a lab.
 
I think those in med research labs are often confronted with this type of concern. You really should speak with a priest, as this is something extremely specialized and most responses you receive will likely be a best guess. There are many positives that come from medical research, but it has also led to a great many horrors. I commend you for your thinking. You must be a wonderful person!
 
Let us know what your priest says. From my understanding (as an unbeliever) Catholics are required to put the best interpretation on others’ actions until another interpretation is shown. I think this would allow you to test semen in good conscience, and any other human tissue. This is one part of Catholic teaching I think has a lot going for it, as it lets you get on with life while maintaining your own integrity and not being required to mess with others’ lives. Very liberal!
 
Zenkai said:
To see if it is viable to produce offspring I guess.
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What I meant is, what would the semen be used for after you tested it. For example, if the semen was going to be used to come up with a new cancer screening or something like that, I think it would be different than if it was going to be used for invitro fertilization. You probably need to discuss the matter with a priest, however, I would think that the intentions behind the procedure would make a difference. If you would not know what the intentions were and there was any chance that the semen tests were going to be used to cure a disease or disorder, I would think it would be okay for you to do the test. I don’t know much about semen tests so I don’t if there even is a justifiable reason for having it tested.
 
Zenkai said:
I am in college and I am probably going to become a medical laboratory scientist. One of the things they do is analyze body fluids, including semen. So I was wondering if it is a sin to analyze/test semen. The semen, in most cases, is probably gathered in a sinful way.

Is there any Church teaching on whether or not it is sinful for a scientist to test semen samples?
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The Church allows a husband to use a perforated condom for the purpose of collecting a semen sample for analysis. The perforation still keeps the sexual act open to life.
 
I don’t see why how it was gathered would make it sinful to examine it. There are legitimate ways to collect semen and ultimately it is none of your buisness how it was gathered. What does matter is why it is being examined and what it will be used for afterwards.
 
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