What is the moral thing to do with "leftover" embyros?

[pickguard1]

Of course, a major problem with baptism for the embryos is the matter of Baptism - water. In order for a baptism to be valid the baptized must have water come in contact with him or her while the words are being spoken. Since the embryos are frozen, I assume that they wouldn’t be able to be baptized unless they were removed from their storage containers - and then the application of water would probably have severe effects on them. Anyone know how exposure to water would affect the embryos?

 

[magdelaine]

Of course, a major problem with baptism for the embryos is the matter of Baptism - water. In order for a baptism to be valid the baptized must have water come in contact with him or her while the words are being spoken. Since the embryos are frozen, I assume that they wouldn’t be able to be baptized unless they were removed from their storage containers - and then the application of water would probably have severe effects on them. Anyone know how exposure to water would affect the embryos?

It would kill them.

 

[pickguard1]

It would kill them.

Then, in my opinion, it stands to reason that the only acceptable time to baptize them would be if the Church says there is absolutely nothing that can be done to save them that isn’t intrinsically evil in and of itself, and therefore they should be allowed to thaw and die (provided this, too, isn’t wrong).

This whole line of discussion presupposes that the Church would have some authority over (or at least access to) the embryos in a general fashion. For those who participate in ESCR and IVF I highly doubt that the issue of necessity of baptism even approaches their thought patterns.

 

[magdelaine]

Then, in my opinion, it stands to reason that the only acceptable time to baptize them would be if the Church says there is absolutely nothing that can be done to save them that isn’t intrinsically evil in and of itself, and therefore they should be allowed to thaw and die (provided this, too, isn’t wrong).

This whole line of discussion presupposes that the Church would have some authority over (or at least access to) the embryos in a general fashion. For those who participate in ESCR and IVF I highly doubt that the issue of necessity of baptism even approaches their thought patterns.

I’m afraid I have to agree. After all, this is a technique that “weeds out” unacceptable embryos as a first step, choosing who lives and dies with as much nonchalance as deciding which Italian syrup to put in your coffee. I think perhaps a “baptism by desire” is the best way to go here; just never stop praying for these little angels.

FWIW, Father Tad has some numbers on embryos in storage; apparently the bulk of them are being held “for future family building”. ncbcenter.org/FrTad_MSOOB_13.asp

At my Parish, I’m happy to say that the priest mentions abortion, chastity, and life issues at least once a month in his homilies, and I’ve attended at least one memorial for a baby who died at 16 weeks gestation. It can be done.

 

[SchonGirl1]

The Church has condemned IVF for obvious reasons. One eventually comes to the question of “What to do with the leftovers (if you will)?” While there is something called “Snowflake” adoption, which is where a couple may adopt someone else’s fertilized embryo and have it implanted, this can run into may problems. First off, the legal aspect of things - say the couple who handed the embryo over wanted it back after it was born. Then there is the fact that the marital act is completely taken out of this. This is also the reason that the Church disagrees with IVF in the first place.

There have been many demeaning comments made about humans in utero. It is disheartening to know that so many people view living, growing humans as some scientific experiment, a source of replacement body parts, etc. A human life begins the moment an egg from a female and a sperm from a male unite. This is SCIENTIFIC FACT! This new human life has a unique DNA, different from either mother or father. A woman’s womb does not house a “blob of cells,” it protects a developing person.

Any talk of using frozen embryos for research should be stopped. How would you feel if someone came up to you and said “I want to help a soldier who just lost his arm, let me rip yours off so he/she can have one. After all, they deserve it, they matter more than you.” I am pretty sure no one would want to give up their arm, many people can function without one, and moreover, your arm has a high chance of being rejected by the other person’s immune system. Embryonic Stem Cell Research has gone NOWHERE! It is useless! Why? Because embryos keeping growing and growing. From the very beginning, certain cells are given certain purposes - to become the top/bottom of the body; to become heart muscles/leg muscles; skin/bone; each time one cell multiplies and splits, there is a unique purpose for those two new cells. Now take a growing embryo made of several cells which have unique purposes and inject it into an adult human. It is unknown whether this action will lead to rejection by the adult’s immune system and if it does not then the embryo will usually continue growing - becoming hair, bone, muscle, etc. Only it is trapped in an odd space now and often develops into a “tumor” on the adult. This is why Embryonic Stem Cells should not be used, are not meant to be used!

So what to do with all those “leftovers?” That is a good question and one which the Church Magisterium is praying about and carefully looking at. It may be a long time before there is a concrete answers, but right now the best thing is to keep the extra embryos frozen (expensive though it may be). And the second thing to do is educate married couples about Church teachings concerning IVF and educate them on acceptable ways to achieve fertility.

Immorality and ill-education come at an expensive price.

 

[rookieonedge]

Any talk of using frozen embryos for research should be stopped. How would you feel if someone came up to you and said “I want to help a soldier who just lost his arm, let me rip yours off so he/she can have one. After all, they deserve it, they matter more than you.” I am pretty sure no one would want to give up their arm, many people can function without one, and moreover, your arm has a high chance of being rejected by the other person’s immune system. Embryonic Stem Cell Research has gone NOWHERE! It is useless! Why? Because embryos keeping growing and growing. From the very beginning, certain cells are given certain purposes - to become the top/bottom of the body; to become heart muscles/leg muscles; skin/bone; each time one cell multiplies and splits, there is a unique purpose for those two new cells. Now take a growing embryo made of several cells which have unique purposes and inject it into an adult human. It is unknown whether this action will lead to rejection by the adult’s immune system and if it does not then the embryo will usually continue growing - becoming hair, bone, muscle, etc. Only it is trapped in an odd space now and often develops into a “tumor” on the adult. This is why Embryonic Stem Cells should not be used, are not meant to be used!

So what to do with all those “leftovers?” That is a good question and one which the Church Magisterium is praying about and carefully looking at. It may be a long time before there is a concrete answers, but right now the best thing is to keep the extra embryos frozen (expensive though it may be). And the second thing to do is educate married couples about Church teachings concerning IVF and educate them on acceptable ways to achieve fertility.

Immorality and ill-education come at an expensive price.

The following article is about an Israeli boy who was injected with ESC and a tumor formed in his brain:

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139368.php