In Vitro Fertilization

[guanophore]

This was brought over from a thread entitled “Believing all the teachings of the Church” on the apologetics forum.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=131728&page=6

In reply to the above post, youv’e completely lost me! What I would see as a problem with ivf is not creating the conditions within the female body that would make it receptive to conception. People who have blocked tubes can have them cleared in an attempt to conceive. I don’t know if the Church disagrees with taking feritility drugs to stimulate ovulation. I don’t see how that would be wrong as you are attempting to conceive not prevent life. The problem I see with ivf is that several eggs are fertilized at one time and the ‘bad’ one’s are discarded, therefore discarding a potential life. However feel free to enlighten me regarding ivf treatment.

Yes, your statement is consistent with the teaching of the church. The Church supports treatment that will create conditions in the body (both male and female) that will make them receptive to conception. This does include the clearing of blocked tubes, and hormones to stimulate ovulation (with careful measure!) What the Church objects to is the abandonment of “the marital embrace”. Once the procedure is taken from the conjugal act into the laboratory, the purpose of the marital relation is lost, and another purpose is placed above it (the overriding desire for a child). Also, the Church teaches (as does science) that life begins at conception. Therefore, fertilized eggs are human life. Discarding them is no different than discarding the life of the child six months in the womb, nine months in the womb, or after birth./FONT

 

[lizaanne]

Not quite sure what you are looking to do here. Continue the discussion? Sorry - you didn’t explain the purpose of pulling this out of another thread.

~Liza

 

[fix]

INSTRUCTION ON RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE IN ITS ORIGIN
AND ON THE DIGNITY OF PROCREATION
REPLIES TO CERTAIN QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
The fundamental values connected with the techniques of artificial human procreation are two: the life of the human being called into existence and the special nature of the transmission of human life in marriage. The moral judgment on such methods of artificial procreation must therefore be formulated in reference to these values…

Advances in technology have now made it possible to procreate apart from sexual relations through the meeting in vitro of the germ-cells previously taken from the man and the woman. But what is technically possible is not for that very reason morally admissible. Rational reflection on the fundamental values of life and of human procreation is therefore indispensable for formulating a moral evaluation of such technological interventions on a human being from the first stages of his development…

It is well worth reading as it answers many questions.

 

[guanophore]

Not quite sure what you are looking to do here. Continue the discussion? Sorry - you didn’t explain the purpose of pulling this out of another thread.

~Liza

Yes we wanted to continue. The moderator closed it because it “drifted off topic”. I don’t understand, but I thought maybe it might be more appropriate here?