The Church has constantly upheld the dignity of children. This dignity extends to all children and grows more urgent the smaller the child is and especially when a child is sick, suffering or handicapped.
The Church insists that the rights of children be legally protected in civil society. The Church teaches that the first right of children is to be born in a real family. This right has not been always been respected and is in a renewed way being violated in contemporary society because of developments in genetic technology.
Some of the violations to the dignity and rights of children today include: lack of health care; inadequate nutrition; poor educational opportunities; inadequate shelter; human trafficking; child labor; child marriage; child pornography; paedophilia; child armed combatants; abortion; and child abuse.
It is in supporting the solidarity of the family, both within the nuclear family, and among families themselves, that children can be born into love. Families are not just an objective grouping for political purposes, but are, in truth, a subjective unit which exists for each other’s benefit and for the benefit of society. Thus, families have the right to form associations with other families and institutions to fulfill their duties and protect the rights of families and children.
For a more thorough discussion of this topic, refer to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Nos. 244-247
