Ever since the Alabama Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision on February 16, 2024, declaring that an embryo is a human being and is protected from mistreatment, a procedure called in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been discussed. Many politicians, both conservative and liberal, have taken a stand in favor of IVF and say it must be protected by law.
The mainstream media generally ridiculed the Court’s decision, saying that the decision makes embryos equivalent to “people” or “children.” The Court got it right. They may be small and only in the initial stages of development, but they are human beings. If not human, then who or what are they?
Infertility is a growing problem in America. About 9% of men and about 11% of women of reproductive age in the United States experience fertility problems. IVF births are about 2% of all children born (around 4 million children a year) in the United States.
Infertility is painful for couples who want children. It is a real cross that some couples must bear. It is good, in fact, praiseworthy, to try to find ways to overcome infertility. Children are a wonderful gift of marriage. We should try to overcome the obstacles, which prevent children from being conceived naturally and born. Scripture is filled with accounts of women who suffered from infertility, yet the Bible tells us there are limits to acceptable methods for conceiving a child.
Both God and nature intend that the conception of new human beings occur in the intimate relations of a man and woman who should be committed not only to one another (i.e., married) but to the responsible upbringing of their children.
IVF departs from that norm; its very name, in vitro, Latin for “in glass” (usually a petri dish). The conception takes place in the dish not in the couple’s marital act. The ovum and sperm are extracted from the man and woman illicitly and are then manipulated in the laboratory. Multiple embryos (fertilized egg) are usually created, (10-14 mature eggs) because some do not survive the freezing before implanting in the mother; others are not used because they are judged to have low reproductive potential; and some of those with high reproductive potential fail to attach to the uterine wall.
Not to mention that IVF is very costly, including procedures, imaging, blood work, and medications, a single cycle can cost $15,000 to $30,000 or more. Some people go through more than one IVF cycle.
So, what happens to the embryos that are not used? Unless the couple objects, they are discarded, which kills the living embryo. If the couple wants to keep them, they are kept frozen for possible future use.
Every help possible should be given to couples experiencing infertility but the ends do not justify the means. Technology in medicine as in warfare, commerce, and daily living must be guided by ethical standards or else the technology will betray the good, which it pretends to serve. IVF seems to be a good, but IVF makes the human person a ‘thing” to be made, not conceived. We make things, not people.
Our Church does not approve of in vitro fertilization because it does not assist a couple to achieve a pregnancy rather replaces it through artificial means. There is a terrible dehumanizing aspect of these procedures. Evident in the very language associated with them: "reproductive technology industry," children are "products" of conception. In IVF the children are treated, in their very coming into existence, as less than human beings. Parents are not consumers” buying” children. It is the normal expectation of most married couples to have children but there is no absolute “right” to have a child.
If you are in need or know someone who may need help in this area here in the Archdiocese of NY there is The Gianna Center for Women's Health & Fertility 15 E 40th St Suite 101 Room 101, New York, NY 10016, Phone: 212.481.1219.The Gianna Center for Women's Health & Fertility, is an outreach of Catholic Health, offers nationally recognized reproductive medicine, restorative medicine and treatment for women’s health disorders. They use successfully proven natural approaches to help women and couples who are struggling with infertility. There are a number of morally acceptable means that may be used to overcome infertility. Human beings "procreate" with God, a joint action among husband, wife, and God Himself. Children are begotten not made in a laboratory.