Children of in vitro fertilization

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Jim_M_ofs

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Dignitas Personae focuses on such issues as embryonic stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, contraception, and abortion. But in real life we all probably have opinions that closely follow the teachings of Holy-Mother-Church. We know to forgive in our hearts the woman that has had an abortion or has used birth control or even the patient that may have benefited from embryonic stem cell therapy. Those are all actions from the past that can be forgiven by us and by God.

What about the child that is the result of in vitro fertilization? Where does this child stand in the eyes of God and the Catholic Church? Dose he/she have the full rights of any other Catholic?

My opinion - at conception a soul is granted regardless of where.
 
Jim_M_ofs said:
at conception a soul is granted regardless of where.
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This is correct.

A child is a human being, regardless of any sinful circumstances in which she was conceived.

If we are to hold the circumstances of someone’s conception as a measure of their humanity or their “rights within the church”, then people conceived through fornication and adultery would be excluded as well. This would obviously be unjust. We do not punish souls for the sins of their parents.
 
Of course. The child has the same dignity of any other human being. However as with any sin unfortunately the child will have to deal with the consequences of the sin that was committed by the parents.
 
Jim_M_ofs said:
What about the child that is the result of in vitro fertilization? Where does this child stand in the eyes of God and the Catholic Church? Dose he/she have the full rights of any other Catholic?
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Of course.
 
marymary1975 said:
Of course. The child has the same dignity of any other human being. However as with any sin unfortunately the child will have to deal with the consequences of the sin that was committed by the parents.
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What exactly does that mean?
 
jrgmercado said:
What exactly does that mean?
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That eventually the child may learn that he/she was conceived in a lab and not through the union of his/her parents. In some cases, the child may not even know who the actual sperm or egg donors were. These are consequences that might have an effect on the child.
 
Corki said:
That eventually the child may learn that he/she was conceived in a lab and not through the union of his/her parents. In some cases, the child may not even know who the actual sperm or egg donors were. These are consequences that might have an effect on the child.
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Exactly. Conception outside of the marital embrace carries social and psychological consequences for the child, through no fault of his/her own. This is especially the case where one or both of the biological parents is absent or unknown to the child. It isn’t fair, but it is a reality.

This is why the Church takes sex, marriage, and family so seriously.
 
LittleRose said:
This is correct.

A child is a human being, regardless of any sinful circumstances in which she was conceived.

If we are to hold the circumstances of someone’s conception as a measure of their humanity or their “rights within the church”, then people conceived through fornication and adultery would be excluded as well. This would obviously be unjust. We do not punish souls for the sins of their parents.
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Well stated.
 
LittleRose said:
Exactly. Conception outside of the marital embrace carries social and psychological consequences for the child, through no fault of his/her own. This is especially the case where one or both of the biological parents is absent or unknown to the child. It isn’t fair, but it is a reality.

This is why the Church takes sex, marriage, and family so seriously.
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Exactly
 
Jim_M_ofs said:
Dignitas Personae focuses on such issues as embryonic stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, contraception, and abortion. But in real life we all probably have opinions that closely follow the teachings of Holy-Mother-Church. We know to forgive in our hearts the woman that has had an abortion or has used birth control or even the patient that may have benefited from embryonic stem cell therapy. Those are all actions from the past that can be forgiven by us and by God.

What about the child that is the result of in vitro fertilization? Where does this child stand in the eyes of God and the Catholic Church? Dose he/she have the full rights of any other Catholic?
My opinion - at conception a soul is granted regardless of where.
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A person is not typically considered Catholic until he or she is baptized. We consider a human person to be a human person from the first moments of life. Many humans do not survive the IVF process. If you do a search on IVF “success rates” by number of eggs retrieved, you may be surprised at how many eggs they retrieve and fertilize and low how the “success rate” (live birth rate) is. For women over 35 is usually less than 50%. I recently had lunch with a friend who attempted IVF a couple of time and *none *of her biological children created through IVF survived more than a few weeks. If the parents do have a live baby nine months later, frequently there have other children kept in freezers for an indefinite period of time. 😦
From about.com:
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According to the data collected for 2007, these are the IVF success rates nationally, when using non-donor eggs:•For women younger than 35, the percentage of live births per cycle is 39.6%.
•For women ages 35 to 37, the percentage of live births per cycle is 30.5%.
•For women ages 38 to 40, the percentage of live births per cycle is 20.9%.•For women ages 41 to 42, the percentage of live births per cycle is 11.5%.
•For women ages 43, the percentage of live births per cycle is** 6.2%.**
•After age 44,** little more than 1%** of IVF cycles with non-donor eggs lead to live birth./
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Now, I assume your question really is about persons who survive IVF long enough to grow past the earliest stages of life. The question then would be, do the parents plan to raise the child as a Catholic? That is the same question that is asked of every parent who seeks to have a child baptized. Once baptized, a Catholic child has the right to be brought up as a Catholic.

Situations that involve the parents living in a state of sin may give a priest pause to question if the parents really intend to raise their child Catholic. That might delay the baptism until somehow resolved. Parents who openly defy Church teachings, who do not practice their faith and who live in a state of mortal sin may have difficulty raising their children in the Catholic faith.
 
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