Why is the Catholic Church opposed to artificial insemination

[Malcolm_McLean]

Father Pakwa on EWTN explained this perfectly – artifical insemination often brings with it several embryos, and not all are wanted by the mother/couple in the majority of cases, so he said that because one knows this going into the process, one is knowingly allowing embryos to die, in order to get pregnant. In this case, one I guess would have to look at it as getting pregnant in this manner, would be considered a very selfish act, according to Father Pakwa. He said it better than me, but that’s the gist of why it’s considered immoral according to the Catholic Church.

Father Pakwa means in vitro fertilisation. Artificial insemination is a relatively low tech technique that is basicially just natural intercourse without physical contact between the man and the woman. In in vito fertilisation eggs are removed, fertilised by sperm in the test tube, and then reimplanted into the woman’s womb. For various reasons it is not practical to fertilise only one egg, and so the remainder must be destroyed.

 

[rayne89]

If they don’t see the psychological trauma of children conceived outside the bonds of marriage, they just aren’t looking very hard. (I have recently had the most horrendous - and it’s not her fault - the most horrendous time, dealing with a lady at my church who recently found out that she was adopted, and that her real mother did not know her father’s name. She is (understandably) demanding answers and experiencing real emotional trauma about the fact that she doesn’t know where she came from; that she had a belief about where she came from that has turned out to be incorrect.

I would like everyone who says, “Oh, it’s no big deal for these kids” to spend one hour alone in a room with this woman, because believe me, yes, it is a big deal; she does not know who she is related to - and who is going to tell her the answer to this question - “Who can I marry? Since every man I meet could be my brother or my cousin.” And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Good lord, this woman needs counseling. Why is “who she is” so tied to her genetics? This probably isn’t very charitable but as someone who is adopted I really have a hard time with adoptees that totally tie their selfworth and personhood to their biological parents.

All I know about my biological is that she was an unwed Catholic young woman. I have no clue about my father. I didn’t find out I was adopted until I was 18 and completely by accident mind you. That part was someone traumatic -only because everyone in the family apparently knew but me. Not because I was suddenly this lost soul with no idea who I was or something.

My biological father could be a rapist for all I know. Doesn’t matter to me one bit, and it doesn’t change who I am. I don’t think genes make you who are, I think God makes you who you are. My personality, my habits, even many of my interests are very much like my adoptive dad. Maybe that’s because I grew up with him as my dad? People put sooo much emphasis in biology as far as how that makes you who are. It makes you blue eyed or brown eyed, light or dark haired ect but who you are comes form the enviroment you grew up in and the choices you make and even more importantly from your soul and souls are not genetic, they are unique and individual and you share that with no one.

The chances of marrying a biological brother or cousin are infinitely small -I think the woman is being a bit dramatic. She needs to get a grip on things. There are more problems than this woman’s adoption. Maybe she is prone to being very emotional, or insecure or she’s had a lot of trauma in her life or something because her reaction is quite over the top.

Adoption really doesn’t even relate with IVF because the child is biologically the mother and father’s nearly all of time unless they are using donor sperm or donor eggs. Why IVF is wrong is because the child is conceived outside of the marital act.

 

[jmcrae]

Good lord, this woman needs counseling.

No kidding?

Adoption really doesn’t even relate with IVF because the child is biologically the mother and father’s nearly all of time unless they are using donor sperm or donor eggs.

Why use IVF if both parents are fertile?

Why IVF is wrong is because the child is conceived outside of the marital act.

True.

 

[rayne89]

No kidding?

Why use IVF if both parents are fertile?

True.

If the tubes are blocked so the egg can’t travel or the man has weak sperm or a low sperm count are a few reasons.

 

[ribozyme]

Good lord, this woman needs counseling. Why is “who she is” so tied to her genetics? This probably isn’t very charitable but as someone who is adopted I really have a hard time with adoptees that totally tie their selfworth and personhood to their biological parents.

All I know about my biological is that she was an unwed Catholic young woman. I have no clue about my father. I didn’t find out I was adopted until I was 18 and completely by accident mind you. That part was someone traumatic -only because everyone in the family apparently knew but me. Not because I was suddenly this lost soul with no idea who I was or something.

My biological father could be a rapist for all I know. Doesn’t matter to me one bit, and it doesn’t change who I am. I don’t think genes make you who are, I think God makes you who you are. My personality, my habits, even many of my interests are very much like my adoptive dad. Maybe that’s because I grew up with him as my dad? People put sooo much emphasis in biology as far as how that makes you who are. It makes you blue eyed or brown eyed, light or dark haired ect but who you are comes form the enviroment you grew up in and the choices you make and even more importantly from your soul and souls are not genetic, they are unique and individual and you share that with no one.

Interesting anecdote… I always heard from the heredity and IQ literature that when children mature their IQs reflect those of their biological parents instread of their adoptive parents.

 

[ribozyme]

But I am confused… How do we accept the idea that we are more than our genes? I believe they shape our intellect and personality.

 

[rayne89]

Interesting anecdote… I always heard from the heredity and IQ literature that when children mature their IQs reflect those of their biological parents instread of their adoptive parents.

I have a friend who is also adopted and found her mother. They couldn’t be more different, unless she takes after her biological father whom she has not met. My friend is a college grad and very bright -her bio-mother is neither. I’m sure genes play a part in intelligence. But I believe environment and opportunity is crucial.
My dad and I are both pack rats, procrastinators, enjoy reading non-fiction, love nature, listening to talk radio, aren’t big on public displays of emotion, very skeptical by nature etc etc and don’t share a bit of genetics.
My dad is a retired mechanical engineer and I never graduated college (although I did have very good grades while I attended) - and am a stay-at-home mom -go figure. But I did grow up in a culturally rich home. We traveled to Europe and through-out the US, went to plays, musicals, ballets, was given an opportunity to take many different kinds of lessons, was restricted from watching a lot of TV and encouraged to read.
And now I think I’ve high jacked this thread –oops, sorry.

 

[rayne89]

But I am confused… How do we accept the idea that we are more than our genes? I believe they shape our intellect and personality.

Maybe we should start a new thread? I believe our intellect and personality are shaped by experience( and God ofcourse).

 

[rayne89]

But I am confused… How do we accept the idea that we are more than our genes? I believe they shape our intellect and personality.

So what about identical twins? Many twins including ones I knew in school are quite different in tastes, style of dress, personality, and choice of career.

 

[ProudMom]

All human beings are created by God (by God alone) and in the image of Christ. Therefore, the manner in which one is conceived does not matter, as GOD LOVES ALL CHILDREN! If God was against such awesome modern technologies, then God would never allow the creation or birth of these children in the first place. As we all know, hundreds of healthy, alive thriving children are brought into this world by God, through such methods. More importantly, it is not how a child is conceived, but rather how a child is treated. Every child (despite the orgin of their conception) has the right to be loved, protected, nurtured and raised in a happy, loving home. End of story!

 

[jmcrae]

All human beings are created by God (by God alone) and in the image of Christ. Therefore, the manner in which one is conceived does not matter, as GOD LOVES ALL CHILDREN! If God was against such awesome modern technologies, then God would never allow the creation or birth of these children in the first place. As we all know, hundreds of healthy, alive thriving children are brought into this world by God, through such methods. More importantly, it is not how a child is conceived, but rather how a child is treated. Every child (despite the orgin of their conception) has the right to be loved, protected, nurtured and raised in a happy, loving home. End of story!

Every child deserves to know who his real parents are, even if he is adopted. God certainly loves all children, and God brings good out of evil, but we pay a heavy price when we deny our children their real parents. We also do a great deal of damage to society when we have test-tube children, because they have no way of knowing where their DNA came from, or to whom they are physically related - enough of this sort of thing going on, and we are going to have unknowing marriages of brother with sister, or cousin with cousin. (All the more so, because the vast majority of test-tube babies come from the same small pool of donors.)

 

[nurseryworker]

All human beings are created by God (by God alone) and in the image of Christ. Therefore, the manner in which one is conceived does not matter, as GOD LOVES ALL CHILDREN! If God was against such awesome modern technologies, then God would never allow the creation or birth of these children in the first place. As we all know, hundreds of healthy, alive thriving children are brought into this world by God, through such methods. More importantly, it is not how a child is conceived, but rather how a child is treated. Every child (despite the orgin of their conception) has the right to be loved, protected, nurtured and raised in a happy, loving home. End of story!

ProudMom,

Many times too many fertilized eggs take hold and doctors surgically remove them so that the number is more acceptable. Children are treated as a disposable commodity so, it does matter how they are conceived. Once you view a segment of the human race as disposable, no member of the human race is safe. This is the danger.

NW

 

[buffalo]

So what about identical twins? Many twins including ones I knew in school are quite different in tastes, style of dress, personality, and choice of career.

see the epigenetics thread

 

[ElizabethAnne]

Good lord, this woman needs counseling.

rayne89,

I would like to offer that this woman is not you. She is a completely different person, and therefore, will react differently to the news that she is adopted than you did. Sure, she may be having a hard time coping with the information, but that does not mean we should be unsympathetic toward her pain.

I have known people who adopted who cared very much about it and about the details of why that happened to them.

God bless you.

 

[gardenswithkids]

All human beings are created by God (by God alone) and in the image of Christ. Therefore, the manner in which one is conceived does not matter, as GOD LOVES ALL CHILDREN!If God was against such awesome modern technologies, then God would never allow the creation or birth of these children in the first place. As we all know, hundreds of healthy, alive thriving children are brought into this world by God, through such methods. More importantly, it is not how a child is conceived, but rather how a child is treated. Every child (despite the orgin of their conception) has the right to be loved, protected, nurtured and raised in a happy, loving home. End of story!

Hi ProudMom,

Welcome to Catholic Answers Forum. Yes, every child should be treated with love and dignity, regardless of how the child was concieved. That is very true. But it is faulty logic to say that since God allows it, it must be okay with Him. God allows some children to be raised in unloving, abusive homes, but that doesn’t mean child abuse is okay with God.

The manner in which one is concieved doesn’t affect the dignity and worth of the person concieved, but the manner in which a child is concieved may be below human dignity. What we do with our reproductive organs matters. Sometimes people do things with sexual organs that are below the human dignity of woman, man and the resulting child. Sexual promiscuity and even rape sometimes results in pregnancy. If rape produces a child that grows up to be a saint, that doesn’t make rape okay. Yet that example demonstrates how God can bring good out of bad, just as He did at the crucifixion on Good Friday.

On a personal note, my heart goes out to those who struggle with infertility. But God is so good–even something as difficult as unwanted infertility He can use for good. I am very grateful to have known couples who suffered from infertility as they taught me to regard fertility as a precious gift.

 

[whatevergirl]

Another misconception about the Immaculate Conception. Mary was conceived through the marital act by her parents. The church doesn’t teach that she wasn’t.

I was thinking that myself.

 

[Seatuck]

christendom-awake.org/pages/may/begetting.htm

 

[1ke]

All human beings are created by God (by God alone) and in the image of Christ. Therefore, the manner in which one is conceived does not matter, as GOD LOVES ALL CHILDREN! If God was against such awesome modern technologies, then God would never allow the creation or birth of these children in the first place. As we all know, hundreds of healthy, alive thriving children are brought into this world by God, through such methods. More importantly, it is not how a child is conceived, but rather how a child is treated. Every child (despite the orgin of their conception) has the right to be loved, protected, nurtured and raised in a happy, loving home. End of story!

Since you have noted on your profile you are a Catholic, I invite you to learn what the Church teaches on the topic.

The Church teaches definitively that conception must take place only through an act of intercourse between spouses.

Therefore, what you suggest is contrary to God’s Law.