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Vatican condemns popular infertility treatments: Reaffirms prohibition of embryonic stem cell research

In a long-awaited document, the Vatican has condemned advanced infertility treatments and contraception technologies and reaffirmed its strong prohibition of embryonic stem cell research.

The document was released December 12 by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.

Church officials said the text was meant as an update to a 1987 statement under Pope John Paul II. While the two documents are complementary, the newer one covers 21st-century medical advances that were not on the horizon 20 years ago.