Why is RCC against some science?

[racing59]

I have a question I brought up on another thread so I thought I’d start a new one. I have a friend that is Catholic.His wife and him wanted a baby bad. They finaly wound up using inveto fertelization. The now have a beautiful son’whom they love. A Catholic on another thread said that it was evil to have a baby this way. If God created science then when is it evil and when is it not? Some religions believe a transfution is evil, others believe you should not have Cancer treatments your not trusting God. Stem Cell is for another thread. I’m just wainted to know why taking the sperm and egg outside the body,fertilizing them, and putting them back in would be considered evil? Should my friends leave RCC because of this?

 

[judechild]

The canned response: The Church is not against science.

The complex response: I understand the situation your friend and his wife were in, but in vitro fertilization is an evil because it reduces a child to the status of a commodity or an accessory. Now, I’m sure they love their child, I’m not saying they don’t - I’m **certainly **not saying they shouldn’t love him - but IVF is wrong because it decides to circumvent God’s design. Marriage does not transmit a “right to have a child,” only the right to perform those acts which can lead to the procreation of a child.

On another level, IVF is distructive; it creates multiple embryos, one or more are implanted in the womb, and then the others are discarded. In Catholic understanding; wholly unacceptable and outrageous.

The child, however, is a child no matter how he came to be. He is not “second-rate”, or the result of sin, or any other whacko accusation that can be thrown around. If you don’t agree, that’s fine I can’t do anything about that, but Catholic moral teaching that deals with sexuality is based entirely on the dignity of the sexual act and on the rights of the child to be born.

As for leaving the Catholic Church, I hope not, but it is a mortal sin to participate in IVF and should be brought up in Confession, and of course should not be done again.

In conclusion, the Church is not opposed to science, only to methods that are immoral. Also, God really didn’t “invent science” because science is an investigative method; IVF is not “science”, it’s only a method of artificial procreation.

 

[racing59]

The canned response: The Church is not against science.

The complex response: I understand the situation your friend and his wife were in, but in vitro fertilization is an evil because it reduces a child to the status of a commodity or an accessory. Now, I’m sure they love their child, I’m not saying they don’t - I’m **certainly **not saying they shouldn’t love him - but IVF is wrong because it decides to circumvent God’s design. Marriage does not transmit a “right to have a child,” only the right to perform those acts which can lead to the procreation of a child.

On another level, IVF is distructive; it creates multiple embryos, one or more are implanted in the womb, and then the others are discarded. In Catholic understanding; wholly unacceptable and outrageous.

The child, however, is a child no matter how he came to be. He is not “second-rate”, or the result of sin, or any other whacko accusation that can be thrown around. If you don’t agree, that’s fine I can’t do anything about that, but Catholic moral teaching that deals with sexuality is based entirely on the dignity of the sexual act and on the rights of the child to be born.

As for leaving the Catholic Church, I hope not, but it is a mortal sin to participate in IVF and should be brought up in Confession, and of course should not be done again.

In conclusion, the Church is not opposed to science, only to methods that are immoral. Also, God really didn’t “invent science” because science is an investigative method; IVF is not “science”, it’s only a method of artificial procreation.

I learnt something new today, I did not relieze there were multipule imbrios in IVF, I can see your position. But if all imbrios are used and none discarded would it still be evil?

 

[Aquinas326]

I learnt something new today, I did not relieze there were multipule imbrios in IVF, I can see your position. But if all imbrios are used and none discarded would it still be evil?

Yes: that would still be circumventing God’s design.

 

[praise_Jesus_1]

The multiple embryo creation I think is one of the easiest reasons for myself to accept the churches teaching against IVF.

If as you mentioned all of the embryos were used it might muddy the waters a bit. But as a previous poster said that marriage gives us the privilege to perform the acts that may create a child but does not give us the right to a child.

IVF does remove God out of the marriage act and I would not consider it similar to a blood transfusion since the purpose of a blood transfusion and IVF are different.

Although I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to be unable to have children of my own. My heart goes out to all of those who want children but are unable to have them.

 

[racing59]

Yes: that would still be circumventing God’s design.

Why is that? Some would say a transfusion is circumventing God’s design. The ancient Jews believe eating flesh with blood in it was an abomination against God.Blood being that it contained the life spirit of an animal(Better not have a juicey rare steak.LOL). So I can see why a Catholic would want to drink Christ blood to get his spirit. So wold you not say a transfution is going against God’s design or medicine, because he has the power over life and death?

 

[racing59]

The multiple embryo creation I think is one of the easiest reasons for myself to accept the churches teaching against IVF.

If as you mentioned all of the embryos were used it might muddy the waters a bit. But as a previous poster said that marriage gives us the privilege to perform the acts that may create a child but does not give us the right to a child.

IVF does remove God out of the marriage act and I would not consider it similar to a blood transfusion since the purpose of a blood transfusion and IVF are different.

Although I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to be unable to have children of my own. My heart goes out to all of those who want children but are unable to have them.

Good response! You got this posted at the same time I was posting.I admit this response has given me food for thought. Thankyou!
Peace be with you

 

[Evangel]

Why is RCC against some science?

Not all science is good. The Catholic Church is against bad science. And unfortunately, science now has the tools to do some really monstrous things.

I have a friend that is Catholic.His wife and him wanted a baby bad.

I see a clue in this statement. Without meaning to judge what this couple have gone through (as I know nothing on that point), the drive to fulfill our temporal desires regardless of the means and oblivious to the consequences is fraught with peril.

If God created science then when is it evil and when is it not?

Leaving aside the “God created science” statement, I hope it is obvious to you that not all science is good. Nazi medical experiments on Jews; US drug experiments on soldiers; embryonic stem cell research, etc.

I’m just wainted to know why taking the sperm and egg outside the body,fertilizing them, and putting them back in would be considered evil?

Means have consequences. The intrinsically beautiful act of marital relations is reduced to technical sterility. Multiple embryos (i.e., humans) are created and frozen or destroyed.

Your friends have discovered great love for this new child. And in coming to understand more fully how precious is life, what has been done to their other children that were destroyed or are sitting in a lab freezer to achieve this end will burden them greatly.

Should my friends leave RCC because of this?

Hopefully your friends will come to understand the bigger picture outside of personal wish fulfillment, that there is a better way than just gratifying one’s immediate desires, and that Jesus Christ, through his Church, offers an effective means (the sacrament of confession) to unburden their souls.